Come Undone
by GemmaH
Summary: I know everything about Isabella Marie Swan - the girl is an open book - but what she knows about me could be scrawled on a flyleaf, large and untidy, and still have blank space below it. I flip back and forth between happiness at her lack of awareness guilt that she's so much in the dark. She never pushes, never questions. I guess I know she's afraid to ask.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - Welcome to my new fic! I've got quite a bit of this written already and will post every Tuesday at least, occasionally twice a week. The chapters will be shortish and I don't expect the whole thing to be overly long, because it was intended as a contest one-shot I didn't have time to complete, but those of you who have read my other stories will know I tend to go whichever way the story takes me, so you never know!**

 **The prologue and chapter one will both go up today.**

 **I hope you enjoy it :)**

 **Come Undone**

 **Prologue**

"Your dad hates me."

She's right. We both know it; he doesn't make any effort to hide the fact.

"Shhh. That's a strong word to use, baby." My mother's words slip automatically from my lips as I pull Bella onto my lap, feeling my heart dip as I take in the melancholy look on her sweet face. However much my father despises her, it's not nearly as much as _I_ despise _him_ for making my girl so sad.

Twirling her chocolate-brown hair around my finger, I tug gently on it to pull her closer and kiss her. If love could kiss sadness away, she'd be the happiest girl in the whole county about now.

She pulls away and her head drops down.

"I don't even know what I did, Edward."

"You didn't do anything, I swear." And she didn't. She's always been on her best behavior around him; desperate to make a good impression so he doesn't see her like everyone else always has.

How to explain to her? _It's not you, it's him?_ It took me long enough to figure out what his problem was, it bugs me that she even knows he has one.

"He looks at me as though I murdered a member of his family or something." She shivers as her words infiltrate my heart, chilling my blood until it's icy cold in my veins.

Her touch thaws the ice and yanks me back from the nightmare I slipped back toward, as she grabs a hold of my hand. "I'm sorry. Was it something I said?"

"No. I'm fine, really."

I force a smile for her, not because I'm happy, but because she once told me she could live off my smiles alone.

I know everything about Isabella Marie Swan - the girl is an open book - but what she knows about me could be scrawled on a flyleaf, large and untidy, and still have blank space below it. I flip back and forth between happiness at her lack of awareness, and being riddled with guilt that she's so much in the dark. I think she knows I'm like an iceberg - ninety per cent hidden beneath the surface - but she never pushes me. Never questions.

I guess I know it's because she's afraid to ask.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

When I told my dad I wanted a summer job, this definitely wasn't what I had in mind. If I have to clean up any more bodily fluids, I may just add to them myself. I stop, drop the mop back into the bucket and move to the door, not caring as I hear the handle hit the wall of the cell. Outside in the corridor I slump against the wall, one hand clutching my churning stomach and the other pressed against my clammy forehead as I struggle to hold onto my breakfast.

"What's up, Cullen?" A smirking police officer stalks past, apparently unaffected by the vile stench emitting from the cell behind me. "Not up to the job after all?"

I glare at him, not trusting myself to answer in case I get myself into trouble. "You're not going to pass out, are you? I'd hate to have to call your old man out to you on your second day in the job."

I wonder again about my father's motives for finding me a job at the police station of all places. I'm not convinced it was purely out of convenience, despite the fact he's the new on-call police doctor.

The officer chuckles loudly and the burning heat of my anger rises. My automatic response gives me the answer. I guess I knew all along.

Anywhere else, anybody else, I'd have them laid out at my feet by now. But not in a police station, and not a police officer. And definitely not in Forks, because Forks is our new start. We can be whoever we want to be.

Or rather, we can be whoever my _dad_ wants us to be. Apparently my opinions are moot.

The asshole officer turns the corner and disappears from view, taking a chunk of my dignity with him.

With a sigh, I put my head down and walk back into the cell to finish up. I mis-time the deep breath I take to brace myself, instead filling my nose with the smell of feces and vomit that festers in the small space. Retching noisily, I double over and puke all over the floor, feeling it spatter over my pants and shoes. There's no let-up as my body is wracked with violent waves as my stomach contracts over and over, until all it produces is bile, burning my throat as it travels up and out of my body.

I stagger from the room, gasping for breath and swiping at my streaming eyes. The bathroom is down the hall, around a corner and through a security door. I'm more than grateful to make it the whole way without seeing another person. I only breathe normally again once I'm through the door, bent over the washbasin and splashing cold water from the faucet onto the heated skin of my face.

"Fuck!" I jump a foot in the air as I raise my wet face to the mirror, and catch the image of a girl standing behind me. She smirks and brushes past me, turning the water on in the washbasin next to mine.

"Sorry. The ladies' bathroom is out of order."

I wipe my hand down my face, and then onto my t-shirt as I turn and stare at the girl. She's around my age and not what I'd expect to see in the men's room at the police station. I try not to stare, but my eyes flit traitorously over her. She's a lot shorter than me and dressed casually, her jeans clinging to her slim figure. I notice the water makes dark splashes against the blue of her t-shirt, and her chucks squeak on the tiled floor as she turns to grab a paper towel from the holder on the wall. I'm not the kind of guy who notices details, and the fact these tiny things leap out at me from her makes something inside me dance a little. The feeling makes me uneasy.

She raises her eyebrows as I lean back on the sink and brazenly watch her walk past me to the exit. She's pretty in a _girl-next-door_ kind of way, her long brown hair hanging loose around the fair skin of her face. Her eyes are dark like her hair, and as she looks back at me, I see something familiar about them that's so unexpected it makes my knees buckle and I have to catch hold of the cold, white sink to stop myself from hitting the ground.

"Hey, are you ok?" The girl steps toward me, her hand reaching forward. I glance down, seeing nothing but her chipped nail polish, a different colour on each finger.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure? You look kind of pale." She tilts her head to one side as she peers at me more closely. Her right hand snakes over and behind her head, hooking her hair and pulling it so it all lies over her right shoulder, and I glimpse a flash of ink behind her ear.

"You have a butterfly tattoo."

She smiles self-consciously and reaches up to touch it. I know her eyes are on me, but mine are on her fingers.

"Yeah, me and half the inked female population."

"It wasn't a criticism."

"I don't really care either way."

I believe her; her face is passive. Even the tight concern she'd regarded me with earlier when I almost collapsed, has faded. "Well, if you're sure you're okay…" She gestures toward the door, taking a step back, putting space between us.

I nod.

"I'll be fine," I say. I don't go so far as to tell her I _am_ fine, because that would be a lie.

She turns and leaves, letting the door bang shut behind her.

I only realize how uptight the interaction has made me, when the tension ups and leaves my body in one huge wave, giving me cause to grip the washbasin for balance once again. Seriously, the last half hour has me feeling closer to seventy than seventeen. I avoid looking in the mirror again for fear of seeing yet another ghost lurking there.

After a moment or two I feel steady enough to stand unaided, and I leave the bathroom to make my way to the office, ready to throw in the towel. I don't care about the consequences; the anger from my father I know this will ignite, there's nothing in this world that will keep me mopping up that shit - and I use the term in its literal sense - for one more second.

"Something I can do for you, son?"

I have no idea what makes me hesitate. It could be the tone that melts around the desk sergeant's words, making them soft and easy, or the kind look on the weathered face that regards me from beneath thick gray eyebrows. Maybe it's the sudden pang of fear when my father's face flashes briefly through my head. Whatever, I pause and glance around, suddenly nervy. That's when I see her again, through the viewing window. She's in the chief's office, sitting on his desk with her feet on his empty chair, swinging the seat left and then right, over and over. Her head is back as she stares up at the ceiling, brown hair trailing down behind her, and the ink of her butterfly on show again, a dark figure, impossible to make out from this distance, against her skin.

A raised voice startles me. I'd been so focused on the girl, I hadn't even noticed Chief Swan standing in the corner of his office, hands on hips, until he yelled at her. He's pacing now. Whatever's going on, he's not happy.

I recognize the scene all too well, it plays out in my house all the time since Alice…

I'm slower than usual at blocking the thought. This day is fucking with my head; my defenses are down.

The sergeant is watching me when I turn back to him; a good-natured, yet knowing, smile on his face.

"The chief's daughter," he tells me. He serves his words with a side of warning. A small, delicate portion, but I can taste it all the same.

I turn, glancing back at her more than once as I head back to my cleaning job.

"Was there something you needed?" the sergeant calls after me.

I don't even bother to look at him.

"Never mind," I call back.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Thanks for the support for this story when I posted it up on Tuesday! I love you all 3**

 **Here's a mini-update as a thank you :)**

 **Chapter 2**

More than a week passes until I see her again. I'm wiping down the leaves on the rubber plant in the waiting area, when she pushes her way through the front door.

"Hey, Harry. Is my dad around?" She leans on the counter, feet up on tippy-toes in a pair of red chucks. Last week she wore blue. My eyes follow her denim-wrapped legs up, until they almost reach her ass. Or rather, where her ass should be. She's wearing a huge black hoodie, too big to be her own. It reaches her thighs and when I look higher I see she has the sleeves pushed back. She holds her hands close together, phone in one and a pack of cigarettes in the other.

"Nope, he's meeting with the mayor. Sorry, Bella."

"Dammit." She pushes away from the counter and turns. I only realize I've been frozen, cloth on leaf and shamelessly staring over at them, when she looks right at me.

"Hey," she says, walking over to where I'm working.

"Hey." My brain is willing my body to move, to try and look at least half normal - whatever that is - but it refuses to play along.

"You look better today." She sits down and lounges comfortably in one of the seats as though she were at home.

"Thanks, I am."

"You work here...?" She pauses, waiting for me to fill in my name.

"Edward."

"Edward," she repeats, still watching me. She's flipping the cigarette packet round between her fingers, holding it against her thigh while she slides her fingers down, then lifting it up and over again. It's hypnotic.

"Yeah. Just for the summer." I drag my eyes away and back to the plant in front of me as I force myself to get back to cleaning it.

"And then?"

"Senior year."

She stops the packet-flipping. The sudden stillness causes me look up to find her eyes searching my face, making me self-conscious.

"I've never seen you at school. I'd have remembered."

I smile.

"I'm really not that memorable." That's what I'm going for in Forks, at least; under the radar, unnoticed. A stark contrast to before.

"I remember you perfectly from last week. You wore a green tee shirt that matched your eyes perfectly." I can tell she's waiting for me to disagree, but I can't because she's right. A slow smile creeps across my face. "And puke splashed all over your shoes and pants."

My smile vanishes as hers grows. "You must really need the money," she says. I look away and polish the plant with humiliation-powered vigor.

"I just need my Dad off my back for the summer."

"Ugh. I feel your pain," she offers, turning to cast a glance in the direction of her dad's office.

"You too?" I ask. I give up on the pretence I'm actually doing anything worthwhile now and sit down opposite her.

"Please. My dad's the chief of police. I'm pretty sure I could be the straight-A, prom queen type and he'd still be on my fucking case all of the time."

"If I didn't know better, I'd be wondering if we shared a father right about now."

She says nothing, just looks at me and shakes her head.

"What?" I ask, unsure what I said exactly.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"That would be a fucking tragedy."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - Unscheduled update, just because :). Happy Sunday!**

 **Chapter 3**

This girl is a mindfuck combination of nothing I've ever known, and things so painfully familiar I want to gouge my eyes out with my fingers so I don't have to see the reminders any more. I look away from her for the same reasons that make me stare, and even though I've been madly trying to bury all the explanations for why my heart leaps and then sinks each time I see her walk through the door at work, I can never get them to stay buried for long.

"I make you uncomfortable."

We're standing at the side of the police station, out of sight of the public as we smoke her cigarettes. It's the first one I've had in six months. I thought I'd regret it instantly, the way my brain screamed at me to say no as my fingers were already sliding it from the pack, but, man, I'd forgotten just how much I enjoy a good fucking smoke.

"Yeah." Tendrils of smoke leak from my mouth as I reply. It would have been easy to lie. I have no idea why I didn't.

"Why?"

"You remind me of someone." My head spins a little and I don't know if it's her line of questioning, or the nicotine rush.

"An ex?"

"No." I hear the sharpness in my own voice, and from the way she regards me as she holds her cigarette to her lips and inhales, I know she heard it too.

"Okay." And just like that, she backs down. We're both silent while we finish our smokes. It's not comfortable, but it's not altogether awkward either. "What time do you finish?" she asks as I stub the end of my cigarette out on the wall beside me.

"Three." I pull my phone from my pocket and check the time. An hour and a half to go.

"You want to do something after?"

"You and me?"

"Uh-huh."

"Like what?"

"Like anything that'll keep me out of the house for as long as possible."

"You don't have any friends you'd rather be out with?"

"I have friends, but I wouldn't rather be out with them."

I laugh quietly and shake my head at this strange girl.

"I guess you could show me around. I haven't seen much of anything."

"I will." She nods as she drops her cigarette on the floor, grinding it out on the ground as she pulls her hair back into a ponytail and secures it with a hairband that was around her wrist. "You'll have to drive though."

"You don't have a car?" I ask.

"I do, but my dad took my keys."

"Why?"

She smirks and shrugs her shoulders.

"He overreacted as usual. It was nothing. Just a little weed." A roll of the eyes and a gentle sneer accompany her words.

I shake my head as I look down at the ground, smiling at her naivety.

"Well he _is_ the Chief of Police. And you _are_ his underage daughter." I risk a glance up, just as she takes a step back and glares at me.

"Whose side are you on, exactly?"

"I'm not on anybody's side, I can just see why he reacted."

" _Overreacted_ ," she says, trying to correct me. I shrug.

"I guess that's a matter of opinion."

"Well, fuck you," she spits at me. "Fuck you _and_ your shitty opinions."

She turns and strides away, pulling up her hood as she goes.

"Crazy girl," I mutter, shaking my head. I'm not even going to try and understand what that was all about.

 **~Come Undone~**

I'm leaving the station at two minutes past three, when Chief Swan notices me and calls me into his office. There's something about the man that makes me nervous. I guess it's that trait that helped him get to where he is today.

"Sit down, Edward." He closes the door behind us. I do as he says, but he doesn't join me, choosing instead to half-sit on the edge of his desk a couple of feet in front of me so I have to crane my neck up uncomfortably to look at him.

"A little bird tells me you've been spending time with my daughter, Bella."

I wonder how I should respond to this. I could tell him the truth; that _she's_ been stalking _me_ , showing up every other day for the past week whenever he's not around, and watching me work. Sometimes she talks to me, sometimes she just observes from a distance, then leaves. I could tell him we're hanging out this afternoon, but since our difference of opinion on his parenting decisions, I'm not so sure we are any more.

I could also tell him I kind of like that his daughter is appearing a little obsessed with me, because it fuels my own masochistic, sick little obsession with her too.

Or I could just keep quiet, which seems the wisest option right now.

The chief strokes his mustache and tires of waiting for me to reply.

"The thing is, Bella's a teenage girl, which means she thinks she knows it all. She doesn't, but she'll make you believe she does. That little girl of mine can be damn convincing when she wants to be. Now I don't know what your story is, Edward, but you should know Bella has a talent for finding trouble and dumping it on our doorstep. The fact that she's latched onto you makes me uneasy. Do the smart thing here, son."

A deep frown has formed on my forehead as I try to process all he just told me.

"I'm not sure I follow," I tell him.

"Let me make it crystal clear for you." He leans over so his face is right in front of mine. "Stay the hell away from my daughter."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

"Where were you? I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind." Neither of us mention the fact she was mad enough to curse me out and walk away less than two hours ago.

I glance back at the station as I unlock the car and open the passenger door for her to climb in.

"Your dad called me in to see him. Someone saw us together."

I close the door, walk around to my own side of the car and get in beside her.

"He warned you off me, didn't he?" she asks as I close my door.

"Yeah."

"But you just let me in here."

"Uh-huh."

"Why?"

I look at her. I can't tell her my reasons.

A pause and a sigh; she waits but she doesn't ask again, instead she changes the subject.

"Did you puke today?" she asks. I snort, amused. I finally came clean to her earlier today, about my reason for looking so rough the first time we met.

"No, why?"

"Because." It's the only answer she offers in words, as she leans over and plants a quick kiss on my lips.

"What was that for?" I ask as she sits back in her seat. She shrugs and snaps the gum she's chewing. I shake my head as I pull on my seatbelt, start the car and begin to pull away. As I wait to turn out of the parking lot and onto the road, I notice a warning light on the dash. "You haven't put your seatbelt on." I pause to give her chance to fasten it.

"I'll be okay."

I turn to look at her, as she taps a message on her phone. Her indifference fans the flames of mild irritation that her lapse ignited

"Bella, put your fucking seatbelt on or get out of the car."

She looks at me, wide-eyed. "People die without them," I tell her. "That's not something they make up for fun, it's a fact."

Saying nothing, she grabs the buckle from above her right shoulder, and pulls it across her body, fastening it with a click.

"Happy now?" she demands. My stomach tightens as she focuses her angry dark eyes on me. I consider making her get out regardless.

I have no idea what I'm thinking, subjecting myself to all the emotions she drags me through whenever I'm with her.

"Yes," I say instead, pulling out onto the road.

...

We park up at First Beach and sit in silence for a while. We're watching the waves hit the shore when Bella suddenly speaks.

"My mom took off with the marriage guidance counselor when her and my dad hit a rough patch."

I begin to laugh, until I realize the look on her face is deadly serious.

"You're kidding, right?" I ask, not entirely sure. It sounds like a joke, but stranger things have happened.

"No."

My smile fades. "I was two years old and she packed her bags and left my dad to raise me alone."

"That's rough. D'you still see her?"

"Not since I was nine." She looks over at me. "By my own choice." She says it pointedly, as though it's important I understand her part in the way things were. "I have a brother I've never met."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not. She's a bitch and a whore. We're better off without her."

I know a bitter and twisted victim when I see one, and I've been suspecting as much about Bella. I'd put money on the situation with her mother being at the root of all her peculiarities.

"Why didn't your dad remarry?"

"He's already married to his job. That's why it pisses me off when he suddenly turns around and gives a shit about my life and choices. He's barely ever home and then thinks he gets to have a say in what I do." She scoffs and shakes her head as she pulls a cigarette from her pack and lifts it to her mouth.

"You can't smoke in here," I tell her. She keeps her eyes on mine as she raises a lighter and flicks it to life. I raise my eyebrows earnestly, daring her to do it. A giggle escapes from around the cigarette that rests between her lips.

"I'm just fucking with you, E." She opens the door and climbs out, slamming it behind her with enough force to make me cringe.

"You have no idea," I say under my breath as she rests against the hood.

I sit for a moment, watching her. The similarities are subtle, flashes here and there that remind me of another lost soul; one that I miss with a fierceness that clashes horribly with the helplessness I feel around the situation.

When I pause to think about it though, I'm not sure the reminders are enough to account for how much of a draw I feel to this girl. It's a mystery, and so is she, for now. She seemed content to let her story be told as she started steadily unravelling herself for me.

Bella cups her hands around the flame as she lights the cigarette. She inhales deeply and then releases the smoke into the air, allowing it to be whipped away from her by the fierce wind that blows here by the sea. Turning and smiling, she holds the cigarette out toward me. I shake my head, no, but I open the door and get out of the car anyway.

I settle myself down beside her, watching the waves roll onto the beach below as we settle into a comfortable silence.

"What happened when you were nine?" I ask after a minute or so.

"Huh?" She frowns briefly, before turning her head to blow the smoke away from me.

"You said you haven't see your mom since you were nine."

"Oh, right." She takes another drag, speaking as she tries to hold the smoke in her lungs. "My step-dad hit me." She exhales in a rush, forgetting to turn, so the smoke fills my face before the wind whips it away. I blink as my eyes sting and water, but she doesn't seem to notice. She definitely doesn't apologize. "I was visiting with them for a couple of weeks during the summer. My mom was pregnant and all she talked about was the baby and all the great things they were going to see and do together. You know, happy fucking families. They'd finished decorating the nursery and you should have seen the amount of stuff that kid had, and he hadn't even been born yet. All I could think about was the tiny parcel she sent me each Christmas, and the fact my Dad never said yes to anything I ever asked for. This one afternoon I lost it over something. I can't even remember what it was now, it wasn't anything important, but whatever it was tipped me over the edge and I went to the nursery and trashed it. They had this cradle, and I tipped it onto the floor; broke it. Turns out it was some heirloom from Phil's family. He was so mad he grabbed me, called me a spoilt brat and slapped me across the face." She pauses and stares off into the distance. "He's, like, huge, so of course I literally peed my pants, which pissed him off even more. He taunted me, said it was like going to be like having two babies, and was I sure I didn't need to start wearing diapers again. He sent me to bed in my wet clothes. It was three thirty in the afternoon and he told me not to get out of bed until morning."

She raises her forgotten smoke to her lips, and only then notices it has burned down to the filter. She tosses it to the ground, pulls another from the pack and fumbles to try and light it with shaking hands.

"Here," I tell her, gently taking them from her, placing the cigarette in my mouth and lighting it, before handing it back. She draws the smoke into her lungs, holds it there and then breathes it out.

"Thanks." She looks down, scuffing her toe against the stony ground and exhaling sharply. "I've never told anybody that before."

"Not even your dad?"

"Nuh-uh. He knew something had happened but I never told him what. He put it down to jealousy of the baby. He thought I'd agree to visit them again once I'd come to terms with it. They stopped inviting me before that ever happened."

"You should have told him."

"And then what? He'd be locked away in prison for murder, and I'd be back living with my mother. No thanks. Anyhow, what's your story?"

The question comes from nowhere and floors me.

"I don't have a story." Lie.

"Of course you have a story; everyone has one. Who do you live with?"

"Just my dad." This at least is true. Even so, I don't like being questioned this way. My heart thumps and my palms sweat as she continues.

"Where's your mom?"

"She stayed back in Chicago to take care of my grandmother." Lie.

"Why didn't your grandmother come with you?" Her tone is curious, but mostly unconcerned. She clearly suspects nothing wrong with my story.

"She's too sick to move across country." Lie.

"So why did you and your dad move?"

"He lost his job and took the first one that came up." Lie.

"Why didn't you stay with your mom and finish school back home?"

"With work and my grandmother, she has enough on her plate. We decided it was best if I stayed with my dad." Lie.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"You know, I'm really kind of hungry. Can we go grab something to eat?" I push away from the hood of the car and walk back to the driver's door.

"Are you ignoring me on purpose?" she asks, standing and turning to face me.

"Yep," I tell her, getting in, closing the door and starting the engine. I wait for her to climb in and settle in the passenger seat with her seatbelt on, then I begin to slowly pull away.

"You know, that was really rude," she complains.

"So was asking that amount of questions." I keep my eyes on the road, despite the temptation to stare at her the way I know she's staring at me right now.

"I told you all about myself."

I roll my eyes.

"You volunteered that information, I didn't drag it from you, piece by fucking piece."

A dark fury is chewing away at my insides, making me fierce and unreasonable.

"Why are you so angry at me?" Her voice is small and wavering as she asks the question, and from the corner of my eye I see her hands twisting in her lap. Guilt nibbles away at my heart.

I reach across and cover her hands with one of mine, feeling my way until I have her fingers interlaced with my own. "I'm not angry at you ."

"Then who?"

I take my eyes off the road and glare at her as my anger flares back up.

"It doesn't matter who."

"I'm so confused right now," she admits, as she wipes a sleeve across her face.

"You're not the only one," I tell her. "Trust me."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Thanks again for all your kind words and theory sharing!**

 **Just throwing out this second update for the week because it's only a short one :)**

 **Chapter 5**

"So then Angela turns around and sees Ben about to…"

I'm one bite away from finishing my burger when Bella falls silent mid-sentence. Her attention is directed upward and behind me, and as I turn to see what she's looking at, Chief Swan steps into the space beside our table. He has his hands on his hips and his feet wide apart in a _don't even think about fucking with me_ stance. It's unnecessary posturing really, we all know he's carrying a gun.

"Why am I not surprised?" he asks. I'm pretty sure the question is rhetorical, so I keep quiet.

"Dad."

Bella slips immediately into role as the archetypal moody teenager, complete with condescending eye roll, minimal use of language, and a sneer Elvis would be proud of.

"It's time to go home, Isabella," he tells her. There's the slightest edge of warning to his voice, but either she doesn't hear it, or she's choosing to ignore it.

"I'm not done here." She glares at him with eyes that are all dark, bitter poison now.

"Yes, you are."

She opens her mouth, but I rush in first.

"Bella, go with your dad." My input is partly fuelled by instinctive self-preservation, and partly by an effort to make her life a little easier, for now at least. She's in trouble enough for being with me, she doesn't need to piss him off more by being defiant and making a scene in public.

Her mouth falls open as she looks at me with contempt.

"Well thanks for your support there, _Edward_." The poison in her eyes is present on her tongue too, as she coats my name in it.

"Well at least one of you has a modicum of sense. It's a shame you didn't have enough to listen to me earlier too, Cullen. Come to my office in the morning."

I sigh as I look down, rest my elbow on the table and rub my forehead in defeat.

"Yes, sir."

Bella's chair scrapes on the floor, but I don't look up as she leaves the table without any more fuss. I guess I'm not such attractive company since I turned traitor.

Neither of them utter a word, to me or each other, as they walk away.

Through the partly steamed-up window, I watch them climb into the police cruiser and leave the parking lot. My appetite deserted me around the same time her dad arrived. I toy with my food for a while, then I abandon it and leave too.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - Thanks to FicSisters and also TLS for featuring Come Undone on their blogs in the past few days, and welcome to anyone who found their way here through them!**

 **This is another short chapter, a longer one will follow later :)**

 **Chapter 6**

"Unbelievable!" My dad throws his hands in the air in a manner that's overly dramatic, even for him. "You really threw in your job for a girl?"

"No, I threw in my job because the chief of police is an asshole."

"You watch your mouth," he warns me. "I know Charlie Swan pretty well, he's a reasonable man-"

"He threatened to fire me if I saw his daughter again. How can you stand there and think that's an acceptable thing for a man in charge of a police department to do?"

"He's just looking out for his daughter."

"I think you'll find he's trying to close the barn door after the horse has bolted."

There's a look of incredulity on his face as he regards me.

"You're a seventeen year old boy who's known this girl for five minutes, and you're judging the chief of police's parenting skills?"

He pushes his hand through his hair, as much gray as it is blond these days, and laughs coldly. "You need to get a grip on reality, Edward. You're a kid. You know nothing about anything." His hand tightens around his whisky glass, as mine tightens into a fist, clenching and then releasing, as I urge the impulse to hit him to calm. I have more self-control than I used to have, I realize, as I stare at the flash of white scar tissue that cuts through my father's eyebrow.

I guess the therapy did have an effect after all. At least on my physical outbursts; my verbal ones not so much.

"I know nothing? I know you shouldn't leave your fucked up teenage daughter to try and raise herself, then bitch when she gets it wrong," I yell at him. "Just like I know you shouldn't let your step-daughter go to jail for something you ultimately had a hand in, and then act as though she doesn't even fucking exist!"

The accusation has been so long in coming, the words shoot out with a force that shocks me. I see them strike their target and he jolts, dropping his cut crystal glass onto the tiled floor where it shatters. He staggers back until he hits the counter.

I'm shaking as I hold onto the back of a chair, anchoring myself to the opposite side of the room, as my grip on my self-control begins to slip, and threatens to slide away altogether.

Looking over, I see a man as broken as the glass lying at his feet. He stares at me, and just for once there's no air of superiority, just the guilt of a man caught.

There's no triumphant feeling, seeing him like this. It's enough for me though, knowing that he feels the weight of his past decisions, even if he doesn't ever show it.

It's enough.

For now.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - So the last couple of updates have been pretty short, here's a longer one to carry you through to next week :)**

 **Thanks for your reviews, if RL ever lets up I promise to try and send some replies xx**

 **Chapter 7**

"What are you doing here?" She's the last person I expect to see when I answer the door. I take a step back in surprise and she takes my retreat as an invitation to step inside.

"Thanks for the warm welcome," she says, her hand on my arm gently pushing me aside so she can get past. "Nice pants." She's talking about my pajamas, but blatantly staring at my bare chest.

I've given up on getting dressed since I quit my job over a week ago. Not only are my days on the couch more comfortable, it pisses my dad off. It's win-win.

I close the door behind her and watch her walk a little way away from me.

"How did you know where I live?" I ask.

"I lifted your personnel file from the police station."

I shake my head and try to hide a smile. The girl doesn't give a shit. I kind of admire that about her.

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal."

"You think my dad's gonna charge me?"

I look at her; the confident way she stands, the sure look on her face. There's not a shred of doubt in her mind that she's safe from any kind of comeback.

"What if I make a complaint?" I wouldn't of course, I just want to know where her head's at. She shrugs as if it's no big deal.

"I'll tell him I turned you down and it pissed you off, so you made it up to get back at me."

"You'd do that?"

"I was kinda hoping I wouldn't have to, but yeah. I would."

Bella turns and examines a painting on the wall, frowning and then adjusting it a little. She steps back, examines it again, and offers a slight nod of satisfaction, then looks around and stares at the rest of the room.

"Where's your dad?" She takes off her jacket and dumps it on the nearest chair.

"At work."

She turns slowly, bottom lip between her teeth as she pushes her shoulders back and shifts. Her stance makes it look as though it knows what she's doing, but there's a hesitance in her eyes that betrays the confident posturing.

"So we have the house to ourselves?"

The seventeen year old boy in me pricks his ears at her words, while the part that has been aged and withered by the shit life has thrown at me, waves its hands and urges the other part to sit back down and exercise caution. She's damaged; I know this. I've been close enough to see that her tough facade is feathered with hairline cracks that compromise her stability.

"I don't know when he'll be home," I tell her. It's kind of the truth, only I'm not expecting him for a while yet. "I don't want to give him reason to be more pissed at me than he already is."

I move to the couch and sit down, picking up the remote and flicking the T.V. on, while

Bella walks over and stands right in front of me, blocking my view of the screen. She pauses while my eyes finish running up her body in her usual tight jeans and fitted tee, and finally rest on her face. Moving slowly, she leans in. I feel the seat beside my leg give, as she rests her knee there, then she's lowering herself onto my lap. I automatically reach out, holding onto her thighs to simultaneously stop her falling back and keep her from sliding further forward.

She doesn't speak, and neither do I. My conscience is still in the background, waving his arms, but the horny seventeen year old started shouting way louder, right about the time my eyes met the desire in hers.

I watch her chest rising and falling, her breathing heavier than it was before as she runs her fingers over my bare skin, down toward my stomach until I'm pulling in air much faster too. She watches her fingers until I exhale heavily, then her eyes flash back to mine. They pause there, and I take in every detail, from the long lashes to the almost invisible line where dilated black pupils hungrily try to devour dark brown irises, before devouring me.

I lean quickly forward, eager to taste her lips, but her hands snap up to my shoulders, pushing me back. She smiles smugly as I look at her, my face twisted in an agony that feels as physical as it does emotional; like someone just snatched a lifeline away from me.

I close my eyes to take a moment, and that's when I feel her. Her mouth is soft and gentle, demanding the same in response.

I comply.

I comply right up until the moment she catches me unaware and shifts forward, lifting her hips and dropping herself onto me with a movement that makes me moan loudly, breaking contact with her lips. Soft and gentle flies out of the window as my mouth searches her neck, wanting to move lower but finding too much clothing in the way. She grinds against me as I fumble for the hem of her t-shirt, lifting it up and over her head as she raises her arms to help me. She gasps as I hold onto her back, pulling her to me until my lips are on her, kissing her through her bra.

We're gone. So far gone that we don't hear the car on the drive.

The key in the lock.

The movement of the door.

What I _do_ hear is the sound of my father dropping his briefcase on the floor, a split-second before he yells at us.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Bella shrinks into herself as my dad's voice fills the room. I gently nudge her onto the seat beside me and reach down to retrieve her t-shirt. My dad has the good grace to turn his back to us while she quickly pulls it the right way round and slips it back on.

"She's decent," I mumble. I look up at her and see that for all the bravado she puts on in front of her own father, she looks terrified of mine. I take her hand in mine to try and offer a little comfort, just as my dad turns back around.

"So this is how you're spending your days now? Is this why you don't bother making the effort to get dressed any more? Because as soon as I'm out of the door you have girls here?"

"Dad, I-"

He cuts me off.

"Who are you?" he barks at Bella. I squeeze her hand and watch as her cheeks burn crimson.

"Bella Swan." Her voice is small and directed toward the floor, along with her eyes.

"Charlie Swan's girl?"

She nods.

"Jesus Christ." His hands are on his hips as his head drops back to look at the ceiling in despair. Bella takes the opportunity to risk a quick glance at me before his eyes are back on us.

"How old are you, Bella?"

"Seventeen."

"Well that's something at least."

She stands without warning, taking a step toward him. As she lifts her head and looks him square in the eye, he blanches and I know he sees the reminders that haunt me too.

"Doctor Cullen…" she begins. He turns away, refusing to look at her again.

"I need to pick up some papers from my office," he says as he begins to climb the stairs. "I suggest you leave, Miss Swan."

"Yes, sir."

She moves for the door as his footsteps fade.

"Hey." She stops when I speak, her eyes darting to me and then back to the empty staircase. "Are you okay? I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault," she argues. "I shouldn't have come here."

Something tugs within my chest as she mentions the notion of not having come to find me.

"Bella?"

There's question enough in her eyes that she doesn't need to respond with words. "That would have been a fucking tragedy."

She smiles, and it's beautiful.

"Here." I grab a pen and notebook from beside the phone, and thrust them at her. "Give me your address. I'll pick you up in an hour."

"Edward, your dad..." she shakes her head, refusing to take them from me. Her smile has slipped as she's engulfed in resignation once again. "I've gotten you in enough trouble already."

I raise my eyebrows, trying to convey that I'm adamant, and push the pen and paper back at her. Tentatively she takes them from me, searching my face. I guess she's trying to make sure I'm not just doing it out of pity. Whatever she sees must satisfy her insecurities, because she scribbles on the paper for a moment or two, then hands it back. Pushing up on her tippy-toes (red chucks today), she kisses my cheek and then lets herself out.

I make for the shower, unwilling to listen to my dad's bullshit right now. Of course, it doesn't stop him from hammering on the door and calling out a promise that we'll speak tonight. Silence falls and I know he's left for work again.

I step out of the shower, dry myself off and then I dress with care. It freaks me out a little that the impression I make on this girl seems to matter so much to me. I hadn't seen her in over a week and yet somehow, in that time, she crept inside my head and set up home. I wonder if she hadn't sought me out, if _I'd_ have gone after _her_ eventually. I push the thought roughly aside as soon as I realize that I probably would. It's a little like torture, the way she reminds of the worst of times, but there's something about the way she conducts herself, about the things that are essentially _Bella,_ that draw me in and make me dwell on her when she's not around. For some reason, the deepest parts of my being are convinced that I can handle the darkness she casts over me without even knowing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8**

"You know, you didn't have to change on my behalf." Bella looks pointedly at my clothes and then offers up a wink as she slides into the passenger seat of my car.

"Funny."

"Just one of my many talents."

"Oh really?"

"You can thank your dad for the fact you missed out on my others, this morning."

"Another grudge to hold against him, you mean?"

She's looking at me.

"What others do you have?" she asks.

I briefly consider adopting her open-book policy and word-vomiting the whole list out, but I rein myself back in and make a dismissive noise.

"Ah, nothing major."

She falls silent and still. I wonder if she believes me, but I'm not about to raise suspicion by asking her. "Where do you want to go?" I ask as I turn out of her street.

"I thought maybe Port Angeles, but if you don't have time-"

"I have as long as you like," I reassure her. "I'm in no hurry to get home."

"Maybe we should just drive and not come back." She rests her head back against the seat and turns to look at me.

The idea is romantic and tempting. And completely impractical for countless reasons.

"That probably works better if your father isn't police chief," I offer with a smile as she lets out a huge sigh.

"Yeah, I guess. Port Angeles it is then."

She's quiet on the car ride, but the silence is far from awkward. She joins in with the songs on the radio, humming when she doesn't know the words and tapping the rhythms out on her thighs. It makes me sort of tingle as I steal glances, and I'm not sure if I wasn't driving, that I'd be able to take my eyes off of her. There's an air of peace and calm in the car, and the words slip out before I've had time to really think about it.

"My mom's not in Chicago."

She stops humming and turns to look at me.

"She's not?"

I shake my head.

"Where is she?"

A huge wave of emotion has forced its way up, blocking my throat and threatening tears.

I don't do tears. Not any more.

The sudden power of it takes me completely by surprise and I suck my lips in over my teeth, keeping my mouth clamped shut. I manage another small shake of my head, but don't dare look over at Bella.

"Shit." It's barely more than a whisper. "I'm sorry." She touches my leg, and I take my own hand off the steering wheel and place it on top of hers. She turns it over and wraps her fingers around mine. It's the most comfort anyone's offered me in months.

After a couple of minutes of silence, she starts singing softly again. I let the worries that I made her feel ill at ease, dissolve, and gradually I relax.

We do a whole lot of nothing in Port Angeles, wandering from store to store, browsing but never buying, and grabbing something to eat. Bella doesn't mention my confession again, but I catch her watching me closely more than a couple of times. I know she wants to ask, but she won't, and I'm not offering any more of myself up. For now, at least.

The hours pass, and the more I get to know her, the more I realize the adult posturing and attitude she gives her father, are all for show. She's a slightly damaged little girl in the body of a young woman, and I guess her dad knows it too.

I spend the day listening to her, laughing at her jokes, and touching her, innocently and gently. I guess the way I put it makes it sound deliberate, but the fact is I can't help myself.

I'm rewarded by her response. She's like a neglected plant, flourishing and blooming with the attention. The girl that gets into my car to come home is a completely different one to the one I stole away with this morning.

"Don't take me home yet," she pleads, up on her knees in the passenger seat and leaning over toward me. I turn to face her and reach out, supporting her as she comes closer, her lips set on meeting mine. It's different to the kisses we shared on my couch earlier. This feels like a natural progression; there's intimacy here, and feelings that go further than just rampant teenage hormones.

I've kissed plenty of girls, but Bella Swan, I decide, tastes sweeter than all the others put together.

"We have to go," I tell her, pulling away, but keeping my mouth only an inch away from hers. I lean back a little, and the way she pouts is so cute, that I can't resist kissing it away.

My dad starts calling me when we're about halfway home, and Bella's around ten minutes after that. Neither of us answers, me because I'm driving, and Bella because...well, it's her dad. I try to remain optimistic that the timing is coincidental, but my gut tells me otherwise.

We're a couple of miles from town when a patrol car pulls out behind us, lights flashing. My suspicions are pretty much confirmed.

"Fuck." I'm not exactly surprised at the situation, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. Bella cranes her neck round to see what's going on, and huffs in annoyance.

"It's fine. I'll handle it," she says.

I pull over, putting the window down and my hands back on the wheel to wait.

A young cop I recognize from working at the station, sticks his head through my window and sees Bella right away.

"Aha! Jackpot!"

She rolls her eyes. "What do you want, Paul?" she asks, her voice flat with boredom as she stares straight ahead through the windshield.

"Just doing my job, Bella. Your dad's looking for you."

"The P.D. is paying to babysit me now? Wow. I'm sure the good folks of Forks would be thrilled to know their taxes are being put to such excellent use."

He turns to me.

"Mr. Cullen. Mind if I have a look around the car?"

I sigh. We both know he's not really asking my permission. I fight the irritation that pokes at me, trying to force a response I know I'll regret.

"Be my guest."

I'm confident the car's fine, my main concern is that he'll run a check on me. I don't know if it's standard practice to check out any new members of staff at the police station, but I do know that my dad pulled strings to get me that job. Nobody's given me reason to suspect they know my background. I risk a glance at Bella. She's already looking at me, and as she registers the worry showing on my face, her brow draws tight in the center. I wonder if her curiosity will get the better of her, but it doesn't.

"Everything looks fine," Paul reports as he completes a circuit of the car. I'm pretty sure he's disappointed. "You can take Bella home now."

"Paul-" Bella tries to interrupt him, but he raises his voice.

"And I'll be following you to make sure you do. Drive safely now." I don't miss the warning; the guy's itching to book me for something.

He walks back to his car and I put the window back up.

"I am so sorry." Bella leans her head back against the seat, clearly mortified by the whole situation. "What a jerk."

"You don't need to apologize," I tell her.

"We really should have carried right on through Port Angeles," she muses, as I watch the patrol car pull out behind us and follow us back into Forks.

As I turn into Bella's street, I can already see Chief Swan standing at the curbside, his arms folded across his chest. We're clearly expected. I pull in, but as the car comes to a stop and her father opens her door, Bella leans over to kiss me. I might have issues with authority, but even I'm not brazen enough to keep the chief waiting by making out with his daughter right in front of him. I let my lips meet hers briefly before pulling away, hoping the apologetic smile I offer her takes the sting from my rejection.

"Bella, get out of the damn car!" Chief Swan barks at her.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "And thanks for today, I had a great time."

"Me too."

"Isabella, I won't tell you again!" I swear he growls this time. It sounds dangerous to me, but Bella just rolls her eyes as she climbs from the car. "Go and wait in the house," he tells her, holding the passenger door open as he watches her cross the front yard, climb the porch steps and disappear inside. As soon as she's gone, he slides into the seat beside me and closes the door. He fills the space, and my heart rate rises a notch.

"Your dad told me you're a smart kid, Edward." He's looking straight ahead. I keep quiet. "And yet disappearing with my daughter - the one I've asked you to stay away from on more than one occasion - doesn't seem like a very smart move. Wouldn't you agree?" Now he turns to look at me. I hold his gaze for a moment, before my sense of self-preservation kicks in and I bow my head.

"Yes, sir."

"Your dad also told me that he came home and found Bella at your house this morning."

"Yes, sir."

"You invited her over?"

I take a moment to think, trying to work out what will be best for Bella as the urge to protect her surges through me. I have no issues accepting punishment, it all just serves to makes me that much more resentful.

"Yeah, I did. I like her, Chief Swan."

The Chief bristles at my confession and leans forward.

"She's not good for you, and you're sure as hell not good for her." He keeps his eyes on me a beat longer than necessary and I get the impression, despite what my dad said, that he knows more about me than when we last met. "I'm going to tell you again. Stay away from her."

I resent the order, sitting up straight and looking him in the eye.

"You can't keep us apart."

"You think, son? Try me."

"You're pushing her away. You should be trying to earn her respect, not destroying the little she has left for you." He stares at me in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"I don't trust you, Cullen," he says at last.

"I'm not going to hurt her, sir."

"You'll know about it if you do."

The threat hangs in the air as he leaves the car, slamming the door and heading into the house without a backward glance. I exhale loudly as I pull away and prepare to face my own father.

* * *

The sound of the TV in the kitchen meets me as I walk into the house. I drop my keys onto the table I've been told not to scratch a thousand times, kick off my shoes and hang up my jacket as my dad appears in the kitchen doorway.

"What is the point of me paying for you to have a cellphone if you never answer the damn thing?" He's angry but I can sense a weariness within him. He's not looking for a fight tonight, and I silently thank God, because I'm really not in the mood for one either.

"I was driving." I walk toward him and brush past as I enter the kitchen and lift a soda from the fridge.

"Chief Swan's looking for you."

"Chief Swan found me." I open the can and take a drink. "Or rather one of his minions did."

"You got arrested?"

"No! I didn't do anything wrong. They just made me take Bella home. He was waiting for us."

My dad sinks down onto one of the counter stools.

"Edward, you really need to stay out of trouble here. If anyone in Forks finds out-"

"The Chief knows." I sit down beside him. "At least, I'm pretty sure he does. He told me I'm not good for Bella, and that he doesn't trust me, and he just kind of looked at me like…" I sigh. "I don't know, I just think he knows."

"Fantastic. So much for a fresh start."

"I don't care that he knows," I tell him. "I'd do it again. I did it for Alice, you know I did." I wait for him to cringe away at the mention of my step-sister; to up and leave the room like he usually does. Instead he's silent for a moment, before he stands and crosses the kitchen. Opening a drawer, he pulls out a small pile of envelopes, then walks back over.

"These came for you. I wasn't going to...I didn't know what to do…"

He drops them onto the counter in front of me. I lift up the one on top and look at it, my name and address neatly looped across the envelope in the familiar script and her name and current...residence...in the top corner.

A hand rests on my shoulder. "I'm going to take a shower," he says quietly, then he leaves.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - Sorry it's been a while! Just a short one to tide you over while I get back into this :)**

 **Chapter 9**

If someone had asked me how I'd react in this moment, I'd have put money on me tearing the envelopes open and hungrily devouring Alice's words. Instead I sit and look at them for the longest time. Long enough for my father to finish showering and reappear in the room. He says nothing, just sits down beside me.

"Are you angry at me?"

It's rare that I'm not these days, but in this moment I'm too numb to care that he kept them from me.

"No."

The silence stretches on.

"Does she write to _you_?" I ask eventually.

"No. She called me once. I asked her not to call again."

Now the anger makes itself known. Like a dangerous snake it slowly uncoils, rising inside me. It remains hidden, but I know it's there, readying itself to strike.

"Why would you do that?" I demand. I used to think I knew him well, but these days I spend most of my time feeling like I live with a stranger.

"I can't…" he shakes his head as he looks down at the counter, and I see the emotions he's trying so hard to suppress cause the muscles in his shoulders and back to clench. When he manages to compose himself, he looks me right in the eye. "She killed my wife."

"Esme was her mother as well as your wife. You think she doesn't feel it too? Besides, you knew," I tell him through clenched teeth. "You knew what was going on with Alice and you did nothing. It was obvious it was going to end badly."

"How the hell was I supposed to know what was going on with her?" His voice is raised as he gets to his feet. "She was a teenage girl. She never spoke to us; she never told us a goddamn thing."

"You have eyes in your head! It was obvious to everyone who knew her that she was always lit. I thought you were a fucking doctor!" The air is thick with vitriol as I stand.

"You watch your mouth." His voice is low and dangerous, taunting me as it goads my adrenaline-filled muscles into action.

"None of us slept when Alice couldn't sleep, she made sure of it. Is that why you turned a blind eye when your benzos started disappearing? Because it made life easier?"

"You think long and hard before you start throwing accusations around." His jaw muscle twitches and I know he's scared because _he_ knows that _I_ know.

"What? You're going to deny it? _She told me_." I draw the words out. "You didn't even have a script for them, did you? The label was always printed out to somebody else. You even caught her with her hand in your bag one time and gave them to her your fucking self!"

I lash out, catching the underside of the stool and sending it flying across the kitchen as I move close to him, matching him inch for inch in height. "She covered for you in court, and this is how you repay her? You make me sick." My nose wrinkles as I look down it at him. "I should go to the cops myself."

"Go then! Who do you think they'll believe? A respected doctor, or a jumped up kid with a criminal record and an ax to grind?"

"If Alice and I both make a statement-" Derisory laughter interrupts me.

"Alice and I have an agreement. She's not going to say anything."

We stare at one another for an age, both breathing heavily as he smirks and I frown. I wait until the muscles in my hand twitch with the desire to hit him, then I turn and leave, grabbing the pile of letters and scooping up my keys from the table on the way out the door.

I'd rather sleep in my car than spend the night under the same roof as him.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N - Thanks to Choc & Sparrow for everything they do to help me get these chapters out. I don't say that nearly enough! 3**

 **Chapter 10**

I drive out toward the coast, finally pulling into a parking lot surrounded by trees. It's still light enough to see everything clearly, but the sky is painted with watery orange streaks. Despite the few cars parked up around mine, there are no signs of any people as I follow the pathway, Alice's letters weighing heavily in my hand.

When I reach the sand I turn right, walking parallel to the ocean. There's something prehistoric about the place, the way it's littered with salt-bleached, bone-like tree trunks, battered smooth by the ocean before they finally washed up here. I pass a middle-aged couple walking hand-in-hand, as a small fluffy dog trots along beside them. The woman smiles, says hello, but I'm in no mood for niceties. I scowl and purposely look the other way, into the treeline. I know I'm being rude, and my mom would be mortified if she could see me now, but I can't bring myself to give a fuck.

I can't find a place I'm completely happy with, but eventually I decide on one that'll do and climb up onto the tree. It's large enough, as it lays on its side, that my feet don't touch the ground as I dangle my legs down. Diligently sorting through the letters, I place them in post-mark order, oldest first. Then, slowly, I ease my thumb under the flap, tearing along the paper when it refuses to lift.

Her letter has no words. It's a sketch of a photo I remember well, but haven't seen for a while. I wonder for the first time if she has it with her? I never knew she could draw like this, but then her interests were sparse and almost exclusively anti-social in nature over the past couple of years. I guess incarceration brings out interests you never knew you had.

The lead smudges as I test it, pushing down on the paper at the grey edges of her face, and pushing a dirty mark inward, blurring her features. I do the same to the image of myself, sitting on the floor at her feet, and then I refold it and shove it roughly back into the envelope. It's pissed me off and I don't know why. Maybe I was expecting her to tell me she misses me as much as I miss her, or some sympathy for the situation we're all in now - fuck, an apology wouldn't have killed her. But this? Fucking pansy-ass drawing of the two of us when we were all a family? Well that's not worth shit to me now.

I open the next letter with hands that shake. What I'd give for a cigarette right now.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I see the loop of her neat handwriting through the back of the paper, but the tension returns with my next breath in when I see it's a poem.

I don't even bother reading it, or stuffing it back into the envelope, I just pick all the papers up and jump off the log, as I consider leaving them right here to rot away.

Fucking poetry.

As I stomp back to the car, I pause at the garbage can at the edge of the parking lot. I lift the lid and hold the letters over it and then release them, dropping them in.

I'm almost back to the car when I turn abruptly and walk back, fishing them out again and gingerly wiping the remains of somebody's dinner from the paper as I curse under my breath.

Just because I rescued them, it doesn't mean I want to read them any more than I did when I dropped them in the garbage, so as I get in the car I throw them onto the floor on the passenger side and turn on the radio. Sliding back the seat as far as it'll go and laying it back a little, I sit, murmuring the half-forgotten lyrics to a song I used to be word-perfect on, back in the days when my life was pretty normal. My mind wanders before the song is even over, and when I pull out my phone I see that Bella sent me a text over an hour ago.

 _ **Sorry about earlier xx**_

I have my reply half-typed out when I decide to call her instead.

"Hey." Her voice is sleep-heavy.

"I woke you, didn't I?"

"It's okay, I don't mind." Her voice becomes strained, followed by a sigh, and I guess she's stretching. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting in my car at the beach."

"It's a little late for the beach, don't you think?"

"My dad pissed me off. I'm going to sleep out tonight." I slide lower in the seat and trace the Volvo badge in the center of the steering wheel.

"Who with?" Her voice is abrupt and it makes me laugh.

"With nobody, I'm alone. Who'd you think I'd be with?"

"A girl?"

I'm unsure whether it's a show of insecurity or immaturity. I'd be annoyed at her assumptions, but something in her voice when she made them, tugged at my usually cold heart.

I try, but I can't hold back a smile.

"Are you jealous?"

"No." She sounds defensive and fearful, the absolute opposite of her declaration.

"Good, because I want to tell you a couple of things. Firstly, you're absolutely the only girl I've met since I moved here, so there's nobody to even be jealous of. Secondly, I don't know what kind of guys you've been around before, Bella, but I'm not the kind of guy who'd kiss one girl then go see another. If I'm with you, then I'm with only you. Understand?"

She's quiet, not offering a reply. "Are you still there?" I ask after a moment.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Good."

"Come and get me?" she asks, dropping her voice so low I almost miss the question. I stare through the windshield at a young couple walking over to their car, hand in hand.

"Not tonight."

"Please, Edward."

The thought's tempting, and my hand even travels down to where my keys hang from the ignition, but I decide I've had enough of family friction for one day.

"There's no point, your dad'll only hunt us down again."

"I'll sneak out, he'll never know."

"Just...leave it for tonight, hey, B? Give your old man a break, will you?"

I hold my breath for a moment as I wait for her to lose it with me, like she has done before when she didn't like what I had to say. This time she surprises me.

"Okay."

The sigh that follows is deep, and I get the sense that she's as exhausted by it all as I am.

"Get some sleep, huh? I'll see you tomorrow."

"You promise?" Her voice is filled with hope, and it scares me that I have expectations to live up to.

I've never been great at that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

The sound of a car pulling onto the lot disturbs me, forcing me to kick my way slowly back up until I break through the surface of consciousness. It takes my brain a while to catch up and remember I chose to sleep in my car, rather than in yelling distance of my dad.

The cold hadn't infiltrated my sleep, but now I'm acutely aware of it. I adjust my hoodie around my ears and fold my arms across my chest, reluctant to open my eyes and face a new day just yet.

A car door slams shut and the sound of cheery whistling reaches my ears. The sound grates on my nerves; I have no idea how anyone can be in quite such a good mood this early in the day.

Reaching down I adjust the seat, moving it upright as I attempt to open my eyes for the first time. It's light outside, and it takes me a moment to realize that what I first mistake for mist is actually the fogged up windows of the car. I resist the temptation to wipe a patch clear with my hand. Instead I turn the key, switch the heater to high and the fan to full. I brace myself against the cold air as it begins to circulate, praying that it doesn't take long to warm.

I notice the clock on the dash reads 5:14am, as the condensation clears enough for me to see the whistler. As I watch him, busy unloading fishing gear from his car, a memory flits into my head of fishing with my grandfather on Sundays. I was eleven when he died, and when we were clearing his stuff out I asked if I could have his fishing rod. My dad laughed at me and asked what I wanted with that old piece of junk. It was propped up on the curb next to the garbage can before I could even answer. I guess he always was a jerk.

My phone's on the seat beside me. I check the display, but there's nothing from my dad. I don't know why I'm surprised, he gave up trying to control the little things a long time ago when he realized the threats and punishments made me resent him even more. These days he doesn't really bother, and I wonder if I ever _didn't_ come home, if a part of him would be relieved? Nothing would surprise me.

I drop the phone back down, the pile of letters in the passenger footwell catching my eye. For the briefest of moments I consider picking them up and opening the rest, but I'm feeling even more defiant than usual, so I turn my head deliberately away, put the car into drive, and pull out. The whistler gives me a cheery wave as I go by, and I reply with an equally cheery one-fingered salute, because I'm a jerk too.

I guess I'm more like my dad than I like to admit.

I drive home past Bella's house, although I have no idea why, given the time of day. There's no sign of the police cruiser so I guess the chief must be at work. The temptation to stop and call in is as strong as it is ridiculous, but I still slow and take in the closed blinds. Somewhere beyond them, Bella is asleep in her bed. The thought tantalizes me. What does she look like when she sleeps? What does she wear? Maybe she sleeps naked...

I play with the possibilities in the confines of my head until I reach my own house.

My dad's car is still in the driveway when I pull in, and I know he'll probably be up by now, sitting in the kitchen and sipping at the vile, bitter excuse for coffee he insists on starting his day with.

I'm right.

"Sleep well?" he asks, sarcasm coating the question as he sits back in his chair to look at me. He's dressed but his shirt collar is unbuttoned, his tie coiled in a perfect spiral on the table to his left.

"No." I refuse to make eye contact as I open the fridge. Pulling out the orange juice, I drink straight from the bottle.

"Edward, would you get a glass?" he scolds. He hates it when I do that, which of course makes me do it all the more. "You need to stop running away when things get tough," he tells me, my distraction not enough to put him off the lecture he has planned. "That temper of yours will be your downfall."

"Yours should have been illegally supplying prescription drugs to teenage girls," I say, as I slam the fridge door and stalk out.

I expect him to storm after me; shout obscenities at the very least.

"I'll be home late tonight," he calls instead. "I have a meeting."

I don't respond, and the silence blankets me all the way up to my room.

Once I've shut myself inside, I kick off my shoes and climb into bed fully clothed, pulling the covers up under my chin. The cold seeped bone deep during the night, and I can't shake the chill of it, despite the heater on my dash churning out hot air all the way home. I drift asleep within minutes, my final thoughts lingering on a girl I know nearly nothing about.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 12**

"Hey, where are you?"

If I thought the extra sleep would make me feel better, I was wrong. I'm groggy and disorientated, and pretty much hating the world.

"What time is it?" I grumble, wriggling to try and find the comfortable spot on the mattress my body had been resting in until I had to fumble around to pull my phone from my pocket.

"Almost midday. Were you sleeping?" No apology, I notice. Coming from anyone else, it would have catapulted me into irritation, but Bella… apparently she has special dispensation with this kind of shit.

"Yeah." The yawn catches me by surprise, distorting the end of my reply.

"Lazy ass."

"No need to get all self-righteous," I mumble.

"I'm not being self-righteous, I'm bitter. I couldn't sleep."

"So now I'm not allowed to?" I force my eyes open, little by little and rub them with the heel of my free hand.

"No, you are. Just know I think you're a lazy ass if you do." Her voice is light, but then she pauses and when she speaks again her voice is more serious, less sure. "Should I go home?"

"Home? Where are you?" My brain is still sleep-drunk and not up to full speed.

"Outside your house."

I throw back the covers and stand a little too quickly, ignoring the way the room sways for a moment as I walk toward the door.

"Why didn't you ring the bell?" I ask, my phone still pressed to my ear as I descend the stairs.

"Edward, I rang it four times."

"You did?"

I pull open the door, finally lowering my phone and ending the call.

"Yes," she says, mirroring me. "I did."

"Huh." Frowning, I stand aside to let her in. She looks the same as always; tee-shirt, tight jeans, red chucks... and a face that makes my heart skip.

"Your dad's car's not outside." Her teeth graze against her lip as she looks at the stairs, her eyes tracking nervously upward.

"He's at work, he won't be home 'til late. You wanna hang out here?"

"No." She says it quickly and without giving it thought. "Not after last time," she offers, pulling a face. I guess the memory of being busted by my dad is playing on her mind. "I wondered if maybe you'd like to meet some of my friends?"

She looks nervous, and I wonder if it's the thought of me meeting them, or of them meeting me.

"Okay." I go with it, hiding my surprise at her suggestion so I don't spook her. She's never mentioned any friends before, aside from the one time she insisted she had some, and I'm kind of fascinated to see what kind of people she'd choose to spend her time with. She's hard to place into any kind of category as far as groups of kids go. "I need to take a shower. You want to come up and wait?" I ask. She glances round again. "I promise he won't be home for hours yet," I say gently, although from the look on her face, reassurance is fruitless. Another pause, and finally she relents with a small nod of her head.

I apologize for the mess in my room. I hadn't thought it was bad, but standing in the doorway I'm suddenly aware of how it probably looks to somebody who may not be not untidy. I have no idea if Bella falls into this category, and for a moment I'm reminded how few of the small things I actually know about her. I decide that needs to change.

I bend down and grab the items of dirty clothing that are scattered around the room. Dumping them in the hamper, I take a corner of my duvet and pull it straight so the bed's a little closer to being made.

A dirty plate and soda can on my desk catch my eye and I wonder how I didn't see them there before. I don't want to look like I'm making too much of a fuss, so I leave them for now and hope she won't notice them. I'm guessing it's unlikely, given the way her eyes move around and hover over everything in the room.

"Make yourself comfortable, " I tell her, backing into the bathroom. "I'll just be a few minutes."

Bella's waiting for me on my bed when I walk back into the bedroom, showered and with my teeth cleaned.

"What time do we need to leave?" I ask, simultaneously holding a towel around my waist with one hand and grabbing clean clothes from my dresser with the other. She doesn't answer immediately, and when she does she clears her throat first. I glance across and find her staring at me with an intensity that makes my cheeks heat self-consciously. I've never reacted to a girl the way I do to her before. It unsettles and thrills me in equal measure.

"Just… whenever. They're hanging out at Charlotte's house, there's nothing special going on."

"Ah, okay." I turn away, catching her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes fix straight back on me, the attention making me smile inwardly as my heart kicks up a notch.

"You don't need to leave," she says as I take a step towards the bathroom. "It's your room. I'll close my eyes."

A devilish impulse shoots through me.

"Okay." I drop my towel and she cries out.

"Oh my God, would you at least give me a warning or something? Jesus!" Her hand is clapped over her eyes, but a smile stretches across her face as she flops back on the bed. A small giggle escapes from her mouth and I can't resist.

I've pulled on my boxers and crossed the room in seconds, I don't think she even hears me until I'm over her, hands pressed into the bed either side of her body, and my legs nudging her knees apart. She doesn't resist, instead she welcomes me, arms around my neck and lips on mine as she wriggles. I guess she's trying to get comfortable, but the movement has the opposite effect on me, and my cock begins to get hard as she rubs against me. I gasp and my hips thrust forward without any conscious thought, drawing a long, dirty moan from Bella as she pulls her knees up high. My hand slides beneath her ass and my fingers curl into the back pocket of her jeans, pulling on it as I push myself against her again.

I'm seeing red-heat shimmers behind my closed lids, my eyes screwed up with the tension that has my whole body in a vice-like grip. Where her hands touch my bare skin, the pressure eases for a moment, leaving a trail of shooting stars that fade back into the familiar tightness once she's moved on.

I can't decide if this is heaven or hell.

My hands roam too, but the amount of clothes she has on is becoming increasingly frustrating. I consider moving away and stripping her naked, but it just feels too fucking good right here between her legs. In the end she decides for me, nudging my weight away and pushing me onto my back. She follows until she's sitting astride me, then she shifts back, settling her weight on my legs. Teasing, she strokes across the tops of my thighs, the bottom of my stomach and over both hips. The closer she gets to my cock, the more desperate I become.

"Just touch me, for fuck's sake," I gasp, not too proud to beg. Bella smirks and drags a single finger along the outline of hard flesh, pushing against the confines of my boxers. I grunt and my hips thrust upward. Bella tucks her fingers into my waistband and maneuvers the fabric out of the way. I don't have time to appreciate the freedom before she's leant down to take me in her mouth, the action removing all other thoughts from my head as I appreciate how fucking perfectly soft, wet and warm her mouth feels wrapped around the most precious part of my body.

I reach down and scoop her hair out of the way so I have a decent view. I'm quickly convinced they don't come any better than Bella's lips sliding up and down my dick.

It's too good and it's been too long. It feels like we barely got started when I'm warning her that I'm close. She replies with a groan - she's clearly been raised to understand it's rude to talk with your mouth full - and carries on regardless.

It's at this point I think I'm in love, and a few seconds more, as I explode in her mouth, I know I am.

She's looking pretty proud of herself when she finally sits up, wiping her mouth with her fingers.

Creeping forward and then lying down beside me, I stretch an arm around her and hold her close.

"That was fucking amazing," I tell her, kissing her gently as I roll onto my side. "Let me repay the favor." My fingers trail down her stomach to the waistband of her jeans. I'm pulling down the zipper when she swats me away, sitting up.

"I didn't do it so you'd repay me," she says, combing her fingers through her hair as she stands. She keeps her back to me the entire time as she walks across the room to the door. "Get dressed, Edward," she calls. "I'll see you downstairs."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

My head swims with confusion at Bella's reaction. I try to find a reason for it, but I either missed the trigger altogether, or there just wasn't one. I dress slowly, reminding myself that she has issues and I shouldn't blame her, but I can't get past the fact that whatever problems she's faced in life, the way she spoke to me as she up and left was plain fucking rude.

"What was that all about?" I ask when I finally track her down to the kitchen. She closes the refrigerator and sets a sandwich-loaded plate down on the table.

"What was all what about?" she asks, sucking the thumb and fingers of her left hand in turn, to clean them.

"That. Before." I gesture to the ceiling, the sharpness of the action hinting at my irritation.

She lets out a laugh, pulled tight with confusion.

"I really have no fucking idea what you're talking about."

"As soon as I went to touch you, you were gone. You wouldn't even look at me."

She sticks her hands in her back pockets and pulls her shoulders forward. Her head dips down as she crosses one ankle in front of the other, and for a moment I think she's going to cry, but then she looks up at me and shrugs.

"I guess I'm just not great at that kind of thing."

"What kind of thing?" I ask. I'm so fucking confused.

"I don't need your sympathy, ok?" The angry outburst is sudden and pisses me the hell off.

"Why are you coming out with all this random shit?" I demand. "Just tell me what's wrong, because something obviously is."

"I just wanted to make you happy." She looks away, head still low, as I swing around, my eyes rolling and my right fist slamming into my left hand.

"Fuck."

The word hovers in the air between us as I take a deep breath.

I seriously consider calling it a day; heading back to my room and calling out to her to close the door on the way out.

As I turn, the words on the tip of my tongue, she tucks her hair behind her ear. I catch a glimpse of her butterfly ink and I know I can't do it.

I sigh in defeat instead.

"C'mere," I say, pulling a chair out and sitting down as I gesture for her to come over. "First of all… sit." I pull her onto my knee. "I don't ever want you to do something you don't want to, just to make me happy, okay?" She looks right at me with those eyes - the exact same colour as Alice's - and blinks until the tears that started to form when I spoke are gone again. She didn't spill a drop.

"I _did_ want to." She hesitates, leans in, kisses me, and then as she pulls away, tries to slip her finger into my mouth. I grab hold of her hand and gently move it away again.

"Stop. I'm serious. Bella, I don't do things out of sympathy. If I offer to touch you, it's because you make me want to, never because I feel sorry for you. Okay?"

She makes no move to agree with me.

"Other guys-"

"I'm not other guys," I interrupt, not even wanting to hear a word more of wherever that was going. "So you'd better raise your expectations right away. You hear me?"

She looks at me and cups her palm against my face.

"Where did you even come from?" she asks, as a frown tugs on her brow.

"Somewhere you never want to go," I reply, placing my lips gently on hers.

 **~Come Undone~**

I open the car door for Bella, closing it when she climbs in and walking round to the driver's side.

It takes me a moment to notice, but as I turn to look behind me as I back out of the driveway, I see Bella has Alice's letters in her hands.

She's leaning over, her hair falling in front of her eyes as she reads the poem on the paper. I slam the brakes on.

"Does that say it's addressed to you?" I snap, reaching for it in vain as she moves it away.

Bella looks at me, confusion and shock blazing across her face.

"What's your problem?" she demands.

"You reading my mail." I reach for the letters again, and she holds them even further out of reach.

"It's just a poem. Who's it from, anyway?" She scans the paper, turning it one way then the other. Finding no signature she picks up an envelope. "Mary Alice Brandon? A girlfriend?" She sets the papers down on her lap and looks at me.

"I don't have a fucking girlfriend," I snap, regretting the words as I watch her recoil. Is she my girlfriend? I don't know if I can put a label on what we have; I'm not sure I even want to. "I didn't mean…" I sigh. I don't even know how to form a sentence any more apparently. I reach for her hand, peeling it off the letters and holding it in my own. She lets me, but she turns her head away, looking out of the window. "I'm sorry. What I meant was I don't have _another_ girlfriend."

It's the coward's way out, but it works for now. Enough, at least.

"Who is she?" she asks, turning her head quickly to look at me, her chin jutting out determinedly.

"Can't you just leave it?" I try to say it kindly, really I do, but I can't keep the edge from my voice.

"So you'll let me suck you off, but you won't give an explanation about another girl? Nice." She has her hand on the door catch and yanks it open.

"Stop, stop!" I grab her arm and reach across her body to slam the door closed again. "That's not how it is."

"Really?" She turns a little in her seat, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows. "That's how it looks from where I'm sitting."

I face forward, pursing my lips.

"Alice is my sister," I say.

"Sure she is." She turns away and her hand is back on the door.

"She is," I tell her hurriedly, trying my best to convince her it's the truth. "Well, step-sister anyway."

Bella looks at me from the corner of her eye and releases the catch again. Her voice is wary, but no longer dismissive

"But she doesn't live with you. Is she still in…" she lifts the envelope again, reading the address that her reaction to the name prevented her from noticing before. Bella looks across at me. "She's in jail?"

"Please don't make me go into it now," I whisper. She blinks, wide-eyed.

"How old is she?"

"Sixteen."

Bella doesn't comment, but her brow draws into a deep frown and she chews on her bottom lip. I look away, not appreciating the pity in her eyes.

After a couple of seconds silence, I lift my foot from the brake and back the car onto the road.

"You'll have to give me directions," I tell her.

She does.

They're the only words she speaks all the way to Charlotte's house.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 14**

I trail behind Bella as we walk along the side of Charlotte's white-painted house, following the sound of voices toward the back yard. She briefly checks I'm still behind her, but looks away again without speaking. I wonder what I'm doing here; meeting people I have no real interest in knowing, with a girl who's slowly driving me insane.

The girls chorus enthusiastically when we round the corner, while the guys call out more laid back greetings. All except one.

He's around six feet tall with tan skin and dark hair, and when he sees Bella, he pushes himself up from his chair. He saunters over and wraps his arms around her, lifting her up as he hugs her, bringing her feet right off the ground. I watch as he whispers something close to her ear that makes _her_ laugh loudly and _me_ want to introduce my fist to his face. The urge grows enough to make my fingertips dig into my palms when he sets her down and plants a kiss on her cheek. She pushes him away, still grinning when he takes her hand and tries to pull her with him. She resists, her body language awkward as she stands her ground and pulls her hand free.

"Guys, this is Edward," she says, finally acknowledging me with words that cause the guy to back off, watching me with suspicion. I catch a flash of guilt in Bella's eyes as I turn my attention to her. Even though she averts them quickly, it's a bit too fucking late for me to avoid wondering what the deal is with him and her.

Everyone looks at me and a murmured greeting ripples round the group as Bella begins introducing everyone. I forget most of the names immediately; but Charlotte, the host, and Brady, the hugger, stick.

"Bella Butterfly, where've you been all summer?" a tall blond guy asks as she sits down on the lawn beside him. I have time to briefly wonder which came first, the nickname or the tattoo, before she nods for me to sit down too. "I wondered if maybe the chief had locked you up for your own good." He laughs, as his innocent comment cuts deep into my chest. His laughter doesn't last long, dying away as he registers the look of alarm on Bella's face. "Hey, I was just kidding," he says, still smiling as he wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her to his side. She forces an unconvincing smile of her own as he releases her and she straightens up.

"Yeah, I know, Jas."

A guy to his right passes him a joint and he holds it out to B.

"Here, you look like you need this more than I do."

My heart speeds up, and as she reaches out to take it from him, my own hand shoots out and clamps down on her forearm, stopping her.

"She's good."

Jas freezes, and I hold his gaze with my own as his brow lifts and his head tilts. He's watchful and quiet for a moment and I'm pretty sure he's analyzing the situation. Finally he turns back to Bella, holding the joint out again.

"Bells?"

She looks at me and moves her arm. I let go, ready to get up and leave the moment she puts that shit between her lips.

She turns back to her friend.

"I'm good. Thanks," she tells him, as I try not to give away the fact I'd been holding my breath.

"You're sure?" He looks at me, hostility pouring from him. I'm not mad. I know it was a dick move, but I had my reasons. Reasons that I'm not about to share here and now.

"Yeah." She nods, even smiles, but she's fooling nobody.

"Thank you," I murmur when Jas turns to say something to his friend. She looks up at me and I know she wants to ask me what the fuck that was all about. I stare back, daring her to do it.

She bites her lip and looks away instead.

Jas doesn't so much as acknowledge me again, so when Bella gets up to go to the bathroom, I sit alone and wait, surrounded by strangers.

"You new in town?" The voice comes from behind and startles me. I turn and crane my neck. She's tall, blonde, and hot. She's also wearing very little.

My eyes travel up her legs, only finding the denim of her shorts when I'm nearly to the top of her thighs. She lowers herself gracefully to the ground and looks at me expectantly. "You do speak English, don't you, Edward?"

I smile, embarrassed.

"We moved here at the start of the summer break."

"You come from somewhere interesting?" she asks, taking a drink from a bottle of water.

"Nope. Do you?"

She laughs.

"No. People usually move away from Forks, not to it."

"Lucky me, huh?"

"Absolutely." She rolls her blue eyes and grins.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember your name," I admit.

"Rosalie." She sticks her hand out and I shake it. "So where did you meet Bella?"

"The police station."

Her eyes widen a little. "I was working there."

"Ah. You're not any more?"

"I quit."

"Hey, loser, I hope you're not hitting on my boy." Bella sits on my lap and leans forward to do the least-ghetto ghetto handshake I've seen, with Rosalie.

"Hitting on _him_?" Rosalie jabs her thumb in my direction. "Oh, please." She winks and Bella giggles.

"She's kidding, baby," Bella tells me, stroking my face.

"I am," her friend agrees. "You're the hottest guy to set foot in Forks since Emmett McCarty." She sighs as I shift, uncomfortable with the attention.

"Oh, please. Emmett McCarty? Still?" Bella wrinkles her nose.

"He ruined me for all men, forever."

"You need to date again. Someone out there is perfect for you."

"I know. It's Emmett. And if you hadn't been AWOL for weeks, you'd know I went on a date with Sam Uley."

Bella sits up straighter on my lap.

"You did? How did it go?"

"Disaster." Rosalie glances around and lowers her voice. "He drools like a dog. I'm not even kidding, it was literally running down my neck." She shudders and Bella laughs loudly, making me grin. I've never seen her this relaxed and light-hearted. I can't figure out why she's avoided this group all summer in favor of spending time with me.

"You seem happy," Rosalie tells her out of the blue, leaning away as though she's trying to get a better view of her.

"I was thinking the same," I say quietly, brushing Bella's hair back and running my finger over the butterfly behind her ear. "I thought it was being with old friends."

Rosalie laughs.

"You're kidding, right? She's our token emo kid. Or she was…"

"Hey, I ditched the black hair-dye over a year ago," Bella protests, nudging her friend's leg with her foot.

"And yet the black soul remained," Rosalie teases in a dramatic voice.

"Go fuck yourself, Rosalie Hale. I do not have a black soul." She looks at me and rolls her eyes, but her lips still curl up a little at the corners.

"No, because the soul-sucker over there leached you dry."

My ears prick and I glance across to see who exactly she's talking about.

Brady.

I look closely at Bella, all pink cheeks and wide eyes, as she offers the smallest shake of her head to her friend. The news that her and Brady have history comes as no surprise given the way he greeted her, but I can't help being pissed. I wonder if he has anything to do with her bringing me along today.

If I was uncomfortable before, I feel more so now. I debate how much time needs to pass before I can politely excuse myself and go. I could just up and leave, but I've given off enough asshole vibes already since I got here, and I don't want to alienate the kids who I guess will be my classmates in a few weeks. Not any more than I already have at least.

I sit it out, and the afternoon gets easier. Everyone drifts over at some point, catching up with Bella and making smalltalk with me. Everyone except Jas - who still watches me - and Brady.

I get the feeling Brady is somewhere near the top of whatever hierarchy exists here. People come to him, rarely the other way round, and all his needs seem to be catered for; an endless stream of girls, beer, smokes and food land in his lap at regular intervals.

Despite the fact I feel his eyes burning into me every so often, it doesn't stop even the most simpering of his followers coming over and spending time with us. It strikes me as strange, but eventually something about this group and their structure dawns on me.

Rosalie might have described her as their token emo kid, but actually, as far as this bunch are concerned, Bella's somewhere up at the top of the pile with Brady.

 **~ Come Undone~**

 **I don't thank SparrowNotes24 and Chocaholic123 nearly enough for their encouragement and support! Thanks ladies xx**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 15**

We sit in Charlotte's back yard until the sky darkens and thunder rumbles in the distance. There's a similar rumble of concern within the group when they notice, and when I check the time I see it's already after five.

"Can I make dinner for you?" I ask Bella, stretching out on my stomach beside her and brushing a tiny bug from her arm.

"At your place?"

"Yeah."

"But your dad…"

"I said dinner. I'm not planning on having him find you half-naked on the couch again." I smile but she's hesitant. "Anyway, he's probably still at work. He said he had a meeting."

"I don't know…"

"If he's home and he starts being a dick, I promise we'll leave."

She looks away, across Charlotte's yard.

"I guess I could."

We say our goodbyes as the first heavy drops of rain fall from the sky. Everyone hurries to get their stuff and rush inside, as if a little water will hurt them.

"Come on!" Bella urges, taking my hand and trying to drag me out of the yard. I laugh at her panic, letting her pull me along for a few steps, then pushing her back against the side of the house and pinning her there with my body.

"What's wrong? Scared you're gonna melt?" I tease, bending down to kiss her and silencing any reply she was thinking of making. Her arms travel up, over my shoulders, and her fingers tug on the hair at the back of my neck as she makes the sweetest fucking noises into my mouth. I could stay here forever, kissing her like this, but as the rain falls heavier, the gutter above us begins to leak and the water trickles right down onto us.

Bella squeals as she pulls away from me, making me laugh as I duck out of the way of the stream that falls from the roof. We race to the car, jumping in and slamming the doors behind us, as a flash of lightning lights up the sky and the rain pelts down even harder, hammering loudly against the roof and windshield. We're giggles and shivers and dripping hair, and when Bella hiccups, I laugh even louder.

"Here." I reach back and grab a hoodie that's been on the back seat for the best part of a week.

"Thanks." She takes it from me and puts it on her lap. Reaching down, she grabs the hem of her damp tee-shirt and pulls it over her head. My eyes go straight to her chest of course, and even though her blue bra isn't see-through, the way her breasts fill it is enough to send a thrill shooting through me. She sees me looking and smiles as she pulls the hoodie on, hiding herself from me again.

"You did that on fucking purpose," I accuse, knowing from the glint in her eye that I'm right.

"I just didn't want to catch a cold." She's a picture of faux-innocence as she shrugs and tosses her tee-shirt into the back.

"Yeah, yeah."

My dad's car is in the driveway by the time we make it back. Bella sees it at the same time I do. I know, because she kind of shrinks down in her seat. I hate that he makes her feel that way.

"It's fine," I say. "We've done nothing wrong." I look her over, frowning when something catches my eye.

"What?" she asks. I reach behind her and pull on the hair tie she put in at Charlotte's house.

"Why don't you wear your hair loose?" I slide it down her ponytail and off, so her hair falls free. She watches me as I fuss, making sure her ears and ink are covered, although I don't tell her that's what I'm doing. If she thinks my sudden obsession with the way her hair looks is strange, she says nothing to me about it. I'm not sure if she's scared to upset me, or just happy to indulge me. Either way, she sits and takes my preening until I'm satisfied.

Bella stays close by my side as I open the door and we walk into the house. I can hear dad's music drifting down the stairs. The fact he's listening to Chopin would once have been a sign he was in a good mood, but these days there are no guarantees with anything.

"I'll be right back. You want to help yourself to a drink or something?" I nod toward the kitchen. She moves slowly, as though afraid she's going to spring a trap, and I head upstairs.

My dad's sitting on the edge of the bed in his robe, towelling off his hair.

"Hey."

He looks over at me. His mouth doesn't quite manage a smile, but he's obviously not in a bad mood.

Not yet at least.

"Hey."

"Was your meeting cancelled?"

"Yeah. Can't say I'm sorry, I have a pile of paperwork to catch up on. How was your day?"

I try to go with the flow of conversation; it's almost like we're a normal functioning father and son.

"Good. Bella took me to meet some of the kids from school."

I look for any sign of a negative reaction to Bella's name, but if there is one, he keeps it well covered.

"And?"

"They seem nice enough."

He nods, satisfied for now. "I invited Bella back for dinner, I hope that's okay." His eyes examine my face. I guess he didn't make a successful career as a doctor without being thorough.

"We're eating together?" he asks.

"It's my turn to cook." I hear the defensive tone to my voice and try to rein it back in, working to keep the atmosphere calm. "There'll be plenty. I mean, I was only planning on spaghetti and meatballs."

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be down."

"There's no hurry, we literally only just got in," I tell him as I back out of the room.

"That's okay. I'll come and sit with you while you cook. See if I can find out what it is about Charlie Swan's daughter that you can't leave alone." He winks and I nod my head, slapping the door-frame in a farewell gesture as I leave.

"I didn't invite you over to cook for me," I say in protest as Bella nudges me aside and takes over at the stove.

"I know." She glances nervously toward the door and I suddenly understand. She's trying to make a good impression on my dad.

"Something smells good." He wanders into the kitchen dressed only slightly more casually than he does for work. There's a smile on his face, and for some reason it makes me more uncomfortable than when his mood is fiery. At least I know where I am with him then. "How are you, Bella?"

She turns her head - not moving from her position, stirring the pan - and smiles. I can tell it's forced.

"I'm good, thank you Dr. Cullen."

I wait for his usual ' _call me Carlisle_ ', but it doesn't come. Apparently, despite her best behavior, he's still reserving judgement.

"Are you looking forward to school starting?" he asks. I snort.

"Why would she be? It's school."

He glares at me.

"Not everybody is as averse to the idea as you, son."

"I don't mind school," Bella says.

"You see?" He's looking smug and I let him, because there's no way she enjoys class. Maybe she likes the social side of school, but everything I've seen of my girl so far tells me she's no fan of authority.

"What's your GPA?" he asks her. I glare at him.

"She came over for dinner, not a fucking college interview."

"It's called making conversation, and watch your mouth." He turns back to Bella, casting a last warning glance in my direction. She sees him watching her expectantly and looks at me, licking her lips in a way that makes her appear nervous about something.

"I had a few... uh… personal issues last year." It's the first I've heard of it and I make a mental note to ask her about it later. "I'll get it back up again this year though. I don't have a choice if I'm going to get out of Forks someday."

"You don't like living here?"

My dad continues the conversation as he opens a bottle of Scotch and pours a measure into a glass.

"Not really. I sometimes feel like the people here don't realize there's a whole world out there. Or worse still, they _do_ realize and have no desire to be a part of it. I'm not content to just sit and be. I want to live."

I'm impressed by her words, and so is my dad. He nods and tilts his glass toward her.

"Good for you. Do you have a career in mind?"

"I'm not sure yet. I love to draw."

My dad's laughter cuts her off, causing her to tense again when I could see she'd just started to relax.

"You think you can make a career from _drawing_?" He laughs again, genuinely amused by her admission, as I watch her withdraw and turn all her attention to the pan in front of her on the stove.

"There are plenty of careers that involve art." I tell him.

"Such as?"

I try to think of one, but my mind emptied as soon as he put me on the spot.

"You know what? It doesn't even matter," Bella says, her voice uncharacteristically small. "It was a stupid idea anyway." I move next to her and reach out to touch her arm.

"It wasn't stupid. If it's something you want to do, you should go for it. Don't listen to him."

My dad can't ignore the remark.

"Instead of telling other people not to listen to me, you should listen yourself sometimes. Maybe then you'd have a clue what you want to do with the rest of _your_ life."

I shake my head as my jaw clenches.

"What's the point? Nothing I do will ever be good enough for you anyway."

It's the same pattern as always as the tension inside me rises alongside the volume of my voice.

"I just want what's best for you," he argues, setting his now empty glass down on the counter. He waits a beat then makes an announcement that surprises me. "You know what? I'll eat out, give you kids some space." I'm glad that Bella still has her head down so she misses the angry look he shoots at her before he finally leaves.

I wait to hear the door close before I speak.

"I'm so sorry." I stand behind her, wrapping myself around her and kissing her hair.

"It's ok." she insists, but she doesn't even turn, so I know it's not.

"He wasn't always this way." I sigh and walk away from her as a wave of grief for the father he used to be takes me by surprise. When it was just the two of us - the years between my mom dying and him marrying Esme - I was his world. I guess knowing how it feels to be adored makes it that much harder when everything swings the opposite way.

"Are you okay?" Bella asks as she looks around to check on me. I swallow before I answer, trying to encourage the constriction in my throat to relax so my voice doesn't make me sound as choked up as I feel.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

She's quiet as she observes me. There's a concern in her eyes that nobody has shown me for a while and I don't know if I should be touched or scared by how invested she seems to be becoming in me.

"I wish I knew more about you, maybe I could help. Why won't you talk to me?"

I force the grief back down and secure it in place.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine."

She puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head.

"I don't believe you."

I can tell she's frustrated with me, and even though I feel bad about it, my mouth defies me and lifts into a smirk.

"I can't help that."

She glares for a long moment, before turning back to dinner and checking the pans, prodding the contents violently with the spoon.

"At least if you're going to lie to me, have the courtesy to try and hide that's what you're doing."

"Hey, there won't be any dinner if you keep treating it like that." I stride over and try to take the spoon from her hand, giving up when she grips it like her life depends on it.

"And what about the way you're treating me, Edward? I feel like I'm fighting secrets all the time with you."

We stare at one another for the longest time, until finally, I break first.

"Is dinner done?" I ask.

"Yes." Her tone is biting, but I figure she's still here, so I obviously didn't manage to piss her off all that much.

"Then can we please just fucking eat before my dad gets home?"

I lift the plates down and she fills them, both silently keeping the walls up on our feelings for now. I wonder if I should cut her loose? Send her away before I get a chance to really hurt her. I'm a selfish bastard though, and while I'd grudgingly send her away to save her, I'm eager to keep her around to save me, even more.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 16**

If I'm arrogant enough to think I'm the only one who has a say in my relationship with Bella, it comes straight back to bite me on the ass; I haven't seen her since the night my dad laughed at her for her career choices. She seems to have no issue with me whenever I call, but she always has some excuse for why she can't meet up, and when I come to think about it, it's always me doing the calling; she never calls me any more. Not that I blame her after the way that evening turned out. It wasn't enough for my dad to upset her, I had to swing straight into douche mode and push her away too.

Apologies and guilt do nothing to change anything in the aftermath.

It's the story of my life.

My dad says nothing about Bella's sudden absence, but he grows so sick of seeing me moping around the house, he finds me a job filing and doing other basic admin stuff at the hospital. If I wasn't so pissed off with my own sulking, I may tell him to stick his mind-numbing job up his ass, but I'm even getting on my own last nerve, so I give in. Though the work itself is dull, I'm in an office with a guy who's just graduated from the high school and is working for the summer before he starts college.

Riley is relaxed and friendly and charming as fuck. If anyone comes crashing through the door demanding anything, by the time he's dealt with them they leave with a smile on their face. He's one of those people who makes you feel like you matter, his attention on you one hundred per cent when you speak to him. Nothing would make me happier than to say it was an act; that the moment the person leaves the room, he drops it, but the truth is, other people really do seem to matter to him .

On my second day at work he asks me if I've gotten to know anyone in town yet.

"I know Bella Swan pretty well," I tell him. His eyebrows rise up.

"You like to live on the edge?" he asks, smirking. I laugh.

"I don't know what you heard, but she's really not that bad."

"Dude. I heard and saw enough to know you'll have your hands full with her."

"Is there something I should know?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"I like her, don't get me wrong. I think she's maybe just…" he searches for the right words. "Easily led. She's lucky she has a dad who can bail her out. And I'm talking in the literal sense."

I'm quiet for a moment, musing over his words.

"What's the deal with her and that Brady kid?" It's tough keeping my tone of voice neutral as I ask the question that's nagged at me since that day at Charlotte's. I'm anxious to know but scared to hear the answer. I fight to keep my expression passive as my heart speeds up.

"Brady?"

I nod. "Well she was dating his cousin for, like, months. Turns out after a while, she started seeing Brady behind his back. The cousin gets wasted one night, tries forcing himself on Bella then hits her when she fights him off. Brady hears about it, hunts the cousin down and beats him until they have to call an ambulance."

"They didn't arrest him?"

"For beating the guy who assaulted the chief's daughter? Nobody saw a thing." He winks at me. "Next thing, the cousin's out of hospital and moves north, and Bella and Brady are acting like nothing ever happened between them."

"That was it?"

I think back to Charlotte's house and the way he watched me.

"Uh-huh. As far as I know they were never _officially_ together. Everyone knew though, they made no secret of the fact there was something going on. They were either stupid or just really fucking brazen. If I had to choose? I'd go for the latter."

He picks up a stack of folders and wanders over to the shelves on the far side of the room to put them away in alphabetical order, leaving me to wonder how knowing more about her just left me with extra questions.

 _ **~Come Undone~**_

It's five thirty pm on Friday when I finally get home after finishing work for the week. There's no sign of my dad, but I guess he's been home because the mail's sitting on the kitchen counter. I glance at it as I open a cupboard to grab a glass, and notice the top one's addressed to me. I don't need to read the sender's details to know it's from Alice.

I guess my dad's stopped censoring my mail. He never mentioned the last bunch of letters after he handed them to me and I never brought them up either. After Bella tried reading them, I bundled them together and stashed them in my closet without ever looking at them. Guilt jabs at my heart as I think of my sister writing to me even though she never gets a response. I'm as shitty a brother as I am boyfriend and son.

I set the glass down slowly on the counter and nudge the cupboard door closed as I reach for the letter. Tucking my finger beneath the flap on the envelope, I gently ease it open and slide the single sheet of notepaper out.

 _Dear Edward,_

 _Well, this is tough. I've started to write this about a hundred times in the past week alone. I wasn't sure whether to even bother writing you again - I've not heard a thing back despite all my letters, and it makes me think that maybe Carlisle finally got to you. You swore to me you'd never let him, and I can't help wondering exactly what could have happened to change that. Blackmail? Threats? I can't think it could be anything other than something bad. I really hope I'm wrong and maybe you're just too busy making new friends, going to parties and getting laid to have time to reply. At least one of us should be living like a teenager._

 _My counsellor keeps bringing up the family reunification programme they begin before release, and I just can't see how that shit will ever work out for me. Could you imagine your dad agreeing to family counselling? I can't decide if it's mostly depressing or funny. Either way I have no clue what's on the outside for me when I eventually get released, and it's kind of scary. I don't know which would be worse - fending for myself, or having to come back and live with your dad again. If he'll even let me back._

 _Or maybe you don't want me to come back either? I don't even know any more. I can't decide if your silence speaks volumes or there's something else to it._

 _I guess I'll leave it at that. I won't bother you again, if you want me you know where to find me._

 _Alice xx_

I look at the empty glass on the counter and, ignoring the faucet where I'd intended to fill it from, I reach for my dad's bottle of Scotch instead. The first couple of mouthfuls burn as I swallow them straight down, but there's a satisfaction in the discomfort; in the idea that I'm being punished for abandoning Alice when she's been reaching out for my support. I think of Esme and my stomach twists as I acknowledge the fact I've let her down too. I wonder if my dad ever lets that same feeling in? He adored her and I know for a fact she'd be devastated if she knew we were treating her daughter this way - even if Alice _is_ the reason she's not around now.

I try to wash away the disgust I feel at the both of us with another slug of whisky. I don't even bother to pour it into the glass this time, holding the bottle to my lips and tipping it up until the liquid runs straight into my mouth. I wince as I swallow it, holding up the bottle to see what the damage is. It's pretty noticeable, so I top it up with water and put it back where I found it.

There's a warmth in my belly, and a fuzziness that radiates out from it, affecting my head and legs a little. I decide I'll write back to Alice tomorrow; I owe her more than I'm currently capable of. Tonight I'll track down Bella and find out why she's avoiding me.

 _ **~Come Undone~**_

"Oh."

She's surprised to see me, that much is clear.

"Oh?" I echo. "Nice."

"No! I just wasn't expecting you." She smiles. It's fake and uncomfortable.

"I get the feeling you've been hoping I'll just disappear," I tell her. She tilts her head and looks at me closely.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"Are _you_? Only I get the feeling you're avoiding me."

"I'm not avoiding you," she claims. Her voice is convincing, but her left eye twitches a little and she licks her lips.

"Bullshit."

"I don't have to stand here and be spoken to like this." She moves to close the door, but I'm faster, shoving my foot forward and stopping it. "Hey!" She tries slamming it a couple of times, until I put my hand out and grab the edge of it.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just want to know what's going on. First you're virtually stalking me, then I can't get near you."

She laughs, as though I'm delusional.

"I was never stalking you, Edward."

I raise my eyebrows but don't bother trying to argue.

"I miss you," I tell her, letting go of the door and moving my foot. If she closes it again, I'll give up and go home. She sighs and opens the door wide, then she turns and walks away. I pause for a moment, unsure, then I step inside, closing the door behind me.

I follow her through to the kitchen. She sits down at the table and carries on eating the meal I'd obviously interrupted, stopping to wash it down from the beer bottle on the table every so often.

"Where's your dad?" I ask, a little on edge when I notice the jacket of his police uniform hanging up on a hook.

"He's taken his girlfriend to the theatre in Seattle."

"I didn't know he had a girlfriend," I comment. Bella shrugs and grimaces.

"She's a bitch. We don't get along," she tells me. I say nothing. She's in a prickly mood.

We sit in silence as Bella finishes eating. She stands, washes her plate at the sink and then crosses to the fridge, pulling out another beer.

"You want one?" she asks me.

"Sure." The effects of the whisky have faded with time and the walk over here but her behavior has done nothing to make me wish I was sober.

She makes me feel as mixed up as she is.

She sets it down on the table without looking at me, not even having the courtesy to pass it directly to me.

"You going to tell the chief I drank his beer?" I ask her.

"It's not his beer, it's mine. It's all about who you know, Edward." She winks at me, her body language switching from cold to flirtatious in a flash. My own body responds to the change in her just as quickly, as a strange mix of anger, frustration and lust are unleashed, ignited further by the alcohol.

I take a long drink of beer from the bottle and stalk toward her. She watches me with interest as she lifts her own beer to her mouth, and the way her lips glisten with the liquid when she lowers it again, makes me long to taste them.

Bella sets her bottle down on the counter and pushes herself up onto it so she's sitting on the edge, legs dangling and feet gently banging against the cabinet door. There's a challenge in her eyes and I consider whether she actually wants me to make the move she knows I'm intending to make, or if she's just daring me to do it. Maybe she's reeling me in to the cruelest game of chicken ever played.

I'm a couple of feet away from her when she stretches her legs out to greet me and draws me in, wrapping them around the back of my thighs. Her arms come to rest on my shoulders and her mouth hovers somewhere just out of reach of my own.

"I told you I wasn't avoiding you," she murmurs. I'm about to argue when she moves forward and empties my head of thoughts my placing her lips on my own. The effect is instant, and although I'm hesitant for all of a couple of seconds, being with her like this causes a thrill to rush through my body, making me want more.

I guess she feels the same, because pretty soon we're both half-undressed and frenziedly pulling at one another.

"Don't stop," she urges breathlessly, as I move my hands down her bare skin, to the waistband of her jeans and then move away again.

"What?" I need clarification. My head's fuzzy with alcohol and desire. Bella huffs and reaches down, quickly unfastening her jeans and shifting so she can pull them down.

"Pull them off," she orders me. I look at her flushed face, but she's not looking at me, staring instead in frustration at the denim that has her bound. I grab them and yank them down her legs, stopping and maneuvering them over her feet until finally I have her free.

Bella pulls me back to her, her hands fumbling to unfasten my jeans too, only stopping when she's pushed them down to my thighs, sending my boxers with them. As she pulls me back to her, I kiss her again, gasping when I feel her hand wrap around me and pull me closer, until she's running my cock up and down her panties, right between her legs. Unable to concentrate on anything even as basic as kissing her, I rest my head on her shoulder, groaning loudly as she makes me feel so good I feel in danger of blowing my load altogether too soon. I try to think of something - anything - else, but even that nearly fails when I realize she's pulling her panties to one side and sliding closer to me. She's still holding me in her hand, then I feel the fucking perfect sensation of soft, warm, wet skin against the tip of my cock. My hips move without anything even close to conscious thought, and I feel myself edging inside her, a little at a time, until both of our cries of pleasure fall silent when I become still as I try to regain some control.

"Shit. Condom," I pant, as my mind clears just enough to become more aware of what I'm doing. I move to pull out of her, but as soon as she realizes, she wraps her legs around me and reaches around my waist with her arms to keep me close.

"No! It's fine, don't worry."

"You're sure? Are you-?"

"Yes! Yes… don't stop. Please… don't stop." She's rocking against me; helping herself. If she'd asked me to stop I would have, but with her encouragement I don't have the self-control to put an end to how incredible this is feeling right now. As she grips on to me, digging her fingernails into my back, I lose the ability to take things slow. I move in and out of her rapidly, her cries growing louder and more animalistic with every movement, until she screams and I feel her come, squeezing me and encouraging my own climax, which hadn't been all that far away since the moment she first touched me.

"Fuck." We're both still. I rest my head against hers. "I'm sorry."

"For…?"

"That's not how I wanted it to be."

She laughs softly.

"It's only sex, Edward."

I pull away slowly and look at her. She won't meet my eye as she reaches next to her for her shirt and pulls it on. I reach down and pull up my boxers and jeans, too uncomfortable from her reaction to make any kind of an effort to clean up first. Her words bother me, because even though I'm a teenage guy who likes sex as much as the next guy, it's not _just sex_ to me. It never has been and it definitely isn't with her.

I've never met anyone who makes me feel like she does.

"You're sure it's okay?" I ask, worry gnawing at my me. "I mean, we didn't use anything. It was kind of stupid…"

"I said it was fine," she says sharply, re-dressing one item at a time as she recovers her clothes from the surrounding area. "Do you want another beer?"

I pull on my t-shirt and look around for my bottle. It's lying on it's side close to where we just fucked, beer spilt in a puddle all around it.

"Yeah, please."

She hands me a fresh one from the refrigerator and wanders away, leaving me to follow her into the living room. She turns on the TV and settles down on the couch, snuggling into my side when I sit down beside her. The move is unexpected after the way she's been acting. I wonder if she'll freeze me out again after tonight.

If I had to guess I'd say she's not used to being treated well by guys; all her reactions seem fuelled by some kind of warped misunderstanding of her self-worth and flawed self-preservation tactics.

I glance down at her face, her brows drawn slightly as a shadow of worry covers her features. I kind of wish I'd never come over here tonight, because the scars I see clearly in her behavior make me hurt for her.

I want to make her better, but I have no idea how a boy with as many jagged cuts as she has, can do that.

I guess unless I try, I'll never know.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 17**

Bella's fallen asleep beside me on the couch, when her phone vibrates and the screen lights up, showing a text from Brady.

 **Where are you?**

"Not with you," I murmur quietly, keeping my eyes on the screen until it falls dark again. A few minutes pass and it begins to vibrate again. Not a text this time though; he's calling her.

I wonder if he's the reason she's been avoiding me? I was quick to put all the blame on my dad and me, but that happened the same day Brady saw us together at Charlotte's. Coupled with what Riley told me about their past, I have to consider the possibility she's not been near me because of him.

I make a split-second decision as she begins to stir, the call disturbing her sleep.

"Hello?"

"Who's that?" he demands. His voice jabs provocatively at my temper.

"It's Edward."

I glance at Bella, suddenly wide awake. She lifts herself up, eyes widening as she sees me with her phone to my ear. She glances at the clock and curses, before launching herself at me, hands scrambling for the phone as she shakes her head.

"Where's Bella?" Brady asks, his voice low and with a definite edge of danger. I let my hand drop from my ear, giving her a chance to snatch her phone back.

"Hey." Her voice is lifted by false cheeriness, but her face drops as he begins to talk. I don't hear his words, but I can hear his tone, and I don't like it. Bella catches a glimpse of my face and stands, wandering away into another room as she tries to calm him down with lies about where she is and why I'm with her.

"You have to leave." She looks panicky when she rushes back into the room, unable to keep still as she hovers in front of me. "He didn't believe me and he's on his way over here."

"Let him come," I tell her, welcoming the opportunity to have it out with the guy.

"Please, Edward! I can't have any trouble here. My dad…" Her face is desperate, her voice pleading.

"You're coming with me then?"

"Huh?"

"You just told him you weren't here."

He's got her so wound up, she can't even keep the thoughts straight in her head.

"Shit."

"Come on." We shut off all the lights and sneak out the back door, locking it behind us. From the backyard we make our way just far enough into the forest that creeps toward the back of the houses in her street, to be invisible, edging through the undergrowth until we're far enough away to emerge without fear of bumping into Brady.

"Are you dating him?" I ask her as we walk down the street side by side, our shadows growing, shrinking, and growing again as we pass beneath the streetlights. I want to reach out and hold her hand, but she has them stuffed defensively into the pockets of her hoodie.

She turns her head and looks at me from the corner of her eye, grimacing as she sees me watching her.

"No." Her voice is small and lacks conviction. "At least, not as far as I'm concerned."

"Fuck." I rub my face with my hand, frustrated. "Meaning there's enough going on between you to make him think you are." I don't ask it as a question, because I don't expect or need an answer. It's obvious. "I heard you two have history."

She turns her head sharply.

"Who told you that?"

"A guy I'm working with," I tell her.

"Who is it?" She's curious as hell, a frown fixed above her dark eyes.

"Does it matter?" I ask.

"It does if he's going around talking about me."

"He isn't. I asked him."

"Why?"

"Because I could tell by Brady's reaction to me that there was something between the two of you."

"You could have asked me," she says, making no effort to hide how pissed off she is.

"Maybe I would have if I'd actually seen you since then. You've been avoiding me, remember?"

"And I told you I haven't been avoiding you. _Remember_?" She sneers at me and I stop walking.

"Why are you being such a bitch?"

She stops, too, and turns to face me. I'm expecting more shitty comments, but she actually has the good grace to look guilty.

I wait for an apology that never comes, before giving up, shaking my head as I walk on again.

Neither of us speaks for a while, but eventually I have to ask the question that's been gnawing away inside my head.

"Why did you let that happen tonight if you're seeing someone else?"

I can't look at her, maybe because I'm afraid of seeing how she reacts.

"I like you," she says, as if it's that simple.

"You scare me," I confess. "You act like you're indestructable and I worry you're already too broken to realize that you're not. Nobody is."

She looks at my face and laughs. The fact she's not taking my comments seriously just makes me more concerned.

"You don't need to worry about me, Edward. I can take care of myself."

"No." I stop and catch hold of her arm, pulling her round to face me. "You think you can. There's a difference and it's dangerous."

"Are you offering to take care of me?" She pulls away and puts her hands on her hips as she waits for me to answer. I pause.

Am I? I stop to think, but only because my reaction to her question in my head is so instinctive, I need a moment for my conscious thoughts to catch up.

"Yes."

"And you think you know what _you're_ doing by offering that? You think you know enough about me to be able to offer to look after me?"

Her words surprise me, but I never could resist a challenge.

"Yeah, I do. Or else I know enough to not care about the stuff I don't know about."

Bella frowns at me, then turns and walks on.

"You're not the only one who needs taking care of, you know," I call after her, causing her to turn slowly back toward me.

"Was that a cry for help? Only it wasn't very convincing."

I can't help the smile that spreads across my face.

"No, it wasn't a cry for help. More an… open invitation to a mutual support arrangement."

"I don't know. It sounds pretty formal." She's trying to hide her own smile, but clamping her lips together does nothing to dull the giveaway sparkle in her eyes beneath the the glow of the streetlamps.

"There's no contract to sign, if that's what's concerning you?" I say. "I'm no Mr Grey."

A short burst of laughter spills from her before she regains control.

"Ah, I don't know whether to be disappointed or relieved," she says with a smirk as I catch up to her. I take her hand before she can hide it away from me again.

"School starts soon," I remind her, pulling her to me. All traces of amusement vanish from her face.

"I know."

"What happens then?" I'm all too aware we're running from Brady now, but school's going to make it impossible to avoid him. She flinches and I know it's because she has no solution.

"You have to decide what you want. And if it's him, that's fine," I lie. "I won't bother you again."

She looks tortured and I feel pretty much the same way over the fact that she didn't turn right around and say she was willing to forget all about him. I look at her a moment longer, but she still has no answer for me.

"Okay, I guess that tells me what I need to know." I glance around, checking for traffic, then I begin to cross the road. I make it to the other side before she calls out.

"Edward! Wait!"

I stop and turn, watching as she runs to me.

"I'll talk to Brady. Explain how things are."

"And how are they?"

She takes a deep breath, bouncing up on her toes and back down.

"I'll stop seeing him. I want _you_."

I don't react. This girl is so fickle, I won't believe it until it actually happens. Instead I simply nod and start walking again.

"Where are we going anyway?" she asks as she falls in step, peering at me from the corner of her eye as though she's suddenly unsure. I'm guessing she was expecting some kind of open-armed reception to her big announcement.

"My place?" I suggest, mainly due to lack of options. "I'll walk you home again later."

She smiles and reaches tentatively for my hand.

I let her take it.

 _ **~Come Undone~**_

 **A/N - Thanks to Choc and Sparrow for their help getting every chapter out! I don't remember to thank them nearly enough for everything they do xx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18**

We have two pieces of good luck. The first, we see no sign of Brady all the way back to mine, and the second, my dad's still not home. I take Bella's jacket and hang it up as she hovers nervously beside the couch. I move toward her, picking up the TV remote and flicking it on as I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her down beside me. We sink into the soft cushions, and the gasp she let out when I first grabbed her, turns to a soft giggle as she realizes she survived the fall. I have the feeling she's about to throw some insult my way, but when I turn in her direction, she moves in quickly and kisses me. The unexpected gesture and the pleasure it brings, mean it takes a moment or two for my brain to catch up with the whole situation. I pull away, ignoring the sounds of protest she makes. Her hands reach out and I catch them in one of mine, bringing them down into her lap and leaving mine as a temporary prison around them.

"Not now."

She pouts so hard my annoyance turns to amusement. She stares at me, leaving me feeling somehow weak when she eventually releases me by looking away. I expected her to be a little pissed at me, but her body's still angled toward mine and she leans against me. She says nothing, and as I loosen my grip on her hands, they ease out from beneath my own and rest on top instead. I watch her a moment longer until she turns to look up at me again. Her cheeks flush when she sees me watching her so closely, and her mouth turns up in a smile.

All the tension I feel I've been harboring, leaves my body in a single wave. I gasp gently for breath as I realize my body forgot to do exactly what it's supposed to do for a second. My body sinks further into the couch, and she rests her head gently on me. The TV's on in the background but I don't even recall looking at the screen at all, before my eyelids close and I fall asleep.

 **~Come Undone~**

I don't know what wakes me, I don't particularly recall hearing any sound. I shift my body, wondering what the weight leaning against my side is. The answer drifts slowly to me, and if I hadn't remembered it was Bella when I did, the soft sigh she breathes as she moves in response would have given the game away.

My eyelids flicker and open, and my heart starts thumping when I see the figure looming over us.

My dad stands staring down at Bella as she sleeps. He hasn't noticed I'm awake, and doesn't know I'm watching as the tear escapes from his eye and makes it halfway down his left cheek before he swipes it away. I turn my head to look down at her and see how she's curled up, facing the back of the couch. Her hair falls away and back down over her shoulder, exposing the inked butterfly behind her ear.

The movement of my head alerts my dad to the fact I'm awake. He turns to look at me, his eyes narrowing and giving away every step of the process as his feelings turn from sadness to anger. He shakes his head at me.

"Take her home," he snaps, then he turns and leaves. I hear his footsteps, heavy on the stairs as he literally runs away from us; from his son and the girl that reminds him uncomfortably of the step-daughter he let take the fall for her mother's death.

Bella stirs, but doesn't come to properly until the sounds of my dad's retreat have faded.

"What time is it?" she mumbles in a voice still heavy with sleep.

"Uh…" I reach into my pocket for the phone I now realize has been digging into my hip while I slept. "Shit. It's after one a.m."

She groans and rests her head back down, wriggling to get comfortable again.

"Hey, hey." I slide away from her and shake her gently. "You can't stay here. You need to go home."

"Huh?" She squints up at me and I feel like shit.

"My dad just got in. I should take you home."

The mention of my dad is like a bucket of cold water, shocking her into full consciousness.

"Ok." She sits up and reaches for the shoes she must have kicked off in her sleep, fumbling to get them on quickly with sleep-numbed fingers. I fetch her jacket and hold it up for her to slip her arms into, then pull my own on.

Out in the street, everything's quiet. Houses sit in darkness and only the occasional sound of traffic in the distance breaks the silence.

"I can't drive you," I tell her apologetically as she pauses beside my car. Sighing with a tiredness I feel too, she leans back against the door, tilting her head up to the clear night sky. "Come on," I take her hand and encourage her forward. She's heavy-footed at first, but the more we walk, the more she wakes up.

"This has felt like the longest evening of my life," I tell her, struggling to comprehend the chaotic few hours that had passed since I got home from work.

"Why?" she asks, simply, apparently having forgotten all the drama.

"Really? I'm pretty sure you were there for all of it."

She tries to shrug it off, but I can tell by the way she averts her eyes that she knows exactly what I mean; she's using her best actress skills, but she can't fool me. She's blowing cold again, and I wonder briefly if I imagined the part where we had sex. I consider mentioning it, but almost as if she can read my mind, she pulls her hand from mine and I know now is not the right time.

Neither of us says much the rest of the way back to her house.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" I ask her as we walk up the steps onto the porch and I watch her unlock the front door. "I'm worried what Brady might do if he comes back."

She laughs.

"Brady won't hurt me."

"You know, that wasn't the impression I got when we ran from here earlier," I say.

"I said he wouldn't hurt _me._ I didn't say he wouldn't hurt you," she clarifies with a frown. I nod as I process the statement, my heart growing heavy as I consider the impact this is going to have when I start school here next week.

"Well, thanks for clearing that up."

Bella yawns. I study her face and see the fatigue from earlier returning. "I guess I better get going," I tell her. I pause, wondering what to do next, but she takes the decision out of my hands.

"I'll see you around, Edward," she says, then she turns and steps inside, closing the door and clicking the porch light off.

I know she's running scared, ignoring everything that happened this evening so she doesn't have to face up to any of it.

"If I were smart, I'd walk away," I murmur to myself.

So I turn and I do. But I guess I already know I won't be able to stay away for long.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19**

The first day of school.

My dad wished me luck as he left for work after breakfast, and I swear he actually meant it. For reasons I've been too afraid to ask in case it makes him change his mind, he's been a little more human toward me since the night he found Bella asleep on the couch beside me. Despite her coolness as she said goodbye that night, she's been over a couple of times since. He's no more welcoming to her than he ever has been. Not outright rude, but cold and distant for sure.

She's noticed too.

Although she's not said anything to me, I've watched her follow him with her eyes each time he's left the room as she's entered, and every time it happens her shoulders seem to sag a little more. She's tried her best, but he can't seem to stop himself acting like a dick.

It's no way for a grown man to treat a young girl, but if I let myself get too pissed about it, I risk disrupting the delicate truce thing we seem to have going on right now, and I'm kind of enjoying not feeling like I'm in the middle of a battle whenever I'm home.

As I pull into a space in the school parking lot I see all heads turn to watch someone. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I look over in time to see Brady getting out of a beat-up Corvette. A small blonde girl, who he's apparently oblivious to, runs over to greet him. She follows a couple of steps behind as he walks away, until her cheeks flush and she wanders back to her friends with an embarrassed shrug of her shoulders.

If the word _asshole_ spring into my head at that moment, it's nothing compared to the onslaught that assaults my brain when I get out of the car and see him approaching Bella. My body stiffens, frozen to the spot. She's standing in front of her truck, braiding the hair of a girl I don't recognize. She hasn't noticed Brady yet, and she doesn't until he opens his mouth and says something. To her credit she keeps her cool, not even looking away from what she's doing as she replies. He laughs loudly at whatever she says, but she rolls her eyes and flips him the bird, still without looking up at him. The action makes me smile, and it hasn't faded completely when Brady turns to walk away and notices me. He slows but doesn't stop, and I'd be lying if I said the look was menacing. If anything, it was interested; curious even.

I'm fucked if I'm going to let him think he intimidates me, so I begin walking from my car, in his general direction. With a final look back over his shoulder, he joins the other kids who are heading into school.

Bella's just tying a band around the end of the braid as I reach her.

"Hey."

She looks up quickly and smiles when she sees me.

"Hey, you. Happy first day of school." She sidesteps her friend and reaches up to kiss my cheek.

"Thanks."

I realize we're smiling dopily at one another when the other girl clears her throat loudly and thrusts her hand at me.

"Hi, I'm Jessica."

I force myself to look away from Bella.

"Edward," I tell her, as I reach out and shake her hand.

"Wow, Bella. You never told me about _Edward_." Jessica smiles widely at her friend, but there's an unspoken scolding in the expression and tone of the words. Bella shrugs.

"We met over the summer. There's really not much to tell."

Ouch.

She looks at me with an apologetic look so fleeting that I almost don't catch it, but then Jessica excuses herself, distracted by some guy calling out to her.

"I'm so sorry," Bella tells me, picking her bag up off the floor and slinging it over her shoulder. "I love Jess, but she's the biggest gossip in school. I try not to tell her anything."

Her words reassure me, but I notice she still keeps some distance between us as we walk toward the school building.

She's popular; for every kid who stares at me - and there's plenty who do - there's another who's greeting Bella by name. She doesn't take all that much notice. I mean, she's polite and says hi back. but nobody seems to really affect her.

She walks me to the school office and waits outside while I go in and find out where I need to be. I emerge with papers in my hand that she immediately takes from me, sorting through them until she finds my timetable. Concentrating so hard her brow furrows, she pushes the rest of the sheets back at me without even looking. I catch hold of them, my eyes quickly landing back on her face as her tongue pokes out of the corner of her mouth.

"Ah, okay," she says at last, looking up "You're not with me first period, but you're just across the hall. Come on." I don't move away fast enough for her, so she reaches over and grabs the strap of my rucksack at the front of my shoulder and tows me forward.

"Hey!"

She smirks at my protest.

"What? You want to be late on your first day? Trust me, Mr Varner is _not_ the teacher you want to keep waiting." Still, she lets go and I match her pace, my legs easily keeping up with her considerably shorter ones.

"This is you," she announces outside a door that's open and has other kids already drifting in.

"You walked me to class? Man, I'm feeling more than a little emasculated right now," I mock-grouch with a wink..

"Well you can walk me if you like?" she offers, gesturing across the hall. She moves backwards a few paces to make sure I'm following, before she turns and I trail the thirty feet to her classroom with her. "Better?" She leans back against the wall and I stand in front of her, resting my hand on the cool surface beside her head as I gaze down at her. She's wearing her hair loose today and I can't resist touching it with my free hand.

"Much. Will I see you after?"

She grimaces a little.

"We'll be heading in different directions, but I'll meet you outside the cafeteria at lunch?" she offers, her face suddenly hopeful.

"Uh… I'm not sure." I tell her as her face falls again. "I mean, there are a bunch of kids all begging to sit with me at lunch."

Her hand shoots out and hits me playfully as she realizes I was fucking with her.

"Really? Well that's fine. You can sit with your other friends." She pushes me away so she can get past.

"Hey!" I catch hold of her wrist and pull her back, putting my face close to hers. "I'll see you there."

Bella lifts herself up on her tippytoes and presses a quick kiss to my lips.

"Have a great morning," she breathes.

"I already am," I admit, although I know my mood is just a thirty feet walk from being unsustainable.

As it turns out, it's even worse than I thought. My first class is trig, and while under other circumstances the fact that I, the new kid, recognizes two faces in their first class might be considered a good thing, in this case it's definitely not. There, seated right at the back of the class so it's impossible to escape their eyes, sit Brady and Jas.

Jas glares as I choose a seat in the middle of the room, but Brady nods an acknowledgment that worries me more than it serves to comfort.

"Hi." A pretty red-headed girl slides into the seat beside me. "Are you new?" She glances at me as she takes stuff from her bag, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, uh… yeah."

"I'm Katie."

"Edward."

She smiles at me.

"Pleased to meet you."

"You too." And I am. I figure I can use all the friends I can get seeing I already started racking up enemies.

Katie opens her mouth to say something else, when a tall, grey-haired guy who is obviously Mr Varner, walks in, closing the door behind him. It immediately opens again and a short kid with water dripping down his face from soaking wet hair bursts in. I glance out of the window, but the sun's still shining.

"You're late," Varner barks at him. The kid freezes and stares at him, wide-eyed. "Wait outside."

"Man," I mutter under my breath. Clearly there's a story behind the state he's in and I'd put money on the fact it's linked to his lateness.

"I said get out." Varner yells at the boy. It does the trick and he backs out of the room, closing the door behind him again. The teacher glares around the room, as if daring anyone to step out of line. Satisfied he moves behind his desk and begins pulling papers from his bag.

I glance at Katie and she offers me a resigned smile, as something hard hits me on the ear from behind. It startles me, and I turn my head quickly to see where it came from. I can guess, but when I look at them, both Brady and Jas are looking straight ahead at the front of the class.

"Is there a problem, new boy?" Varner demands. I turn, slowly.

"No."

"I beg your pardon?"

I worry for a moment that he might be about to literally explode, the way his eyes bug out of his face. I realize my mistake straight away. This guy is old-school.

"No, _sir_."

I hate the guy already and I can't hide the fact. Shit, I don't even _want_ to hide the fact. I glare at him as hard as he's glaring at me, and to my satisfaction he looks away first.

I hope to hell the day starts to get better, and soon.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 20**

"Hey, you survived Varner, congratulations." Bella's already waiting outside the cafeteria when I arrive. "I have to say, I wasn't sure you had it in you."

I scoff. "Well, thanks. You should know though, my survival skills are second to none." I'm joking, but she looks at me seriously for a beat, and I consider whether she's wondering about my past.

I smile, overly cheerily considering the way the day began, and nudge her toward the cafeteria.

"Anyway, extreme survival always makes me hungry, let's eat."

I follow her through the doors, cursing too quietly for her to hear as I see the table of kids I recognize to be her friends. She waves to them but heads for the food counter, walking ahead of me as we fill our trays.

"Where do you want to sit?" she asks when we're done.

"Uh…" I glance at her friends.

"I get it," she says gently.

"You do?" Relief begins to trickle through me.

"Uh-huh." She smiles and nods to an empty table in the far corner. "How about over there?"

"Sure."

We've almost made it when one of her friends calls her name out and encourages her to sit at their table. She pauses, tray in hand, and looks at me. My heart sinks but I can tell she wants to go to them, even as she turns back to the empty table.

"It's okay," I tell her. "We can sit with them if you like."

She stops and looks back at me.

"You don't want to though," she says, wincing. She's right, I don't, but she obviously does.

"It's fine."

She flashes me a smile and I decide seeing her happy is worth facing my insecurities for, as I let her lead the way.

It's clear up close there's not much room left, forcing Charlotte to move along to free up two seats together. I'm still more than a little reluctant as I sit down, and Bella draws everyone's attention to me. "Guys, you remember Edward."

There's a cheery greeting from the tall blonde girl I was talking to at Charlotte's house, a smattering of unenthused hello's from the majority of the table, and a look that could kill from Jas and another of Brady's guys. The man himself isn't here.

A small mercy to be grateful for, at least.

My relief lasts precisely eleven minutes. That's the point at which Brady strolls through the cafeteria door and over to our table, and gestures for Charlotte to stand up from the chair beside Bella. He sits in her seat and pulls her back down on his lap. The action sends a mixed scent of cologne and cigarette smoke into the air around him. It's not a pleasant combination, but Charlotte either doesn't notice, or else she doesn't give a shit. She giggles as he whispers something in her ear, then she gets up and walks away to the food counter. Her tray is still half filled with food, so I'm pretty sure she's being used as Brady's personal server for the day.

Bella's sitting between us, and I see him lean forward to look past her at me, from the corner of my eye. "Hello again, _Edward_."

I prickle at the way he says my name, but I refuse to look at him.

"Brady," I say, picking up an apple from my tray and taking a bite.

"I see you attracted Varner's attention this morning. You really should pay better attention in class, you know."

I stop eating, put what's left of the apple back down on the tray, sigh and turn to him.

"Do you have a problem with me?" I ask. I see Bella's eyes widen and she shakes her head at me with a barely-there movement. I'm aware that the rest of the conversations around the table are dying down, and the other kids are beginning to look in our direction. Brady grins at me. I'm getting the impression he enjoys an audience.

"A problem with you? Why would I have a problem with you?" He holds his hands out in front of him, palms up, and shakes his head as if he has no idea what I'm talking about.

"Yeah, well I'm not interested in games," I tell him. You don't like me? Stay away from me." I glare at him for a moment and he stares back, the smile only dropping a little.

"You know, you're sitting at _my_ table, _Edward_." He slouches to the left and casually throws his arm around Bella's shoulders. I see her stiffen, but she doesn't move as she keeps her eyes on me, as if trying to project her thoughts into my mind.

I nod, aware of Brady's intentions here. He may be pretending to be friendly, but his message is coming across loud and clear.

"Actually, we were here before you," I tell him. "I get it though; territorial pissing. Nice." I push back my chair and stand, looking down at Bella as I reach for my tray. "Are you coming?"

I'm fairly confident she'll choose me, but she pauses for a long moment. Doubt is beginning to creep in when she finally frowns at Brady.

"You're being an asshole," she tells him, shrugging off his arm as she stands. She gathers her tray, ignoring the murmurs from the rest of the group, and follows me over to dump them.

I don't look back, so I have no idea if Brady reacts. I really couldn't give a fuck anyway.

~CU~

"Was he giving you shit this morning?" she asks, as she sits beside me in my car. We came outside to get away from Brady, but it started to rain as soon as the doors closed behind us.

"I've had worse."

"He could make your life hell here, you know."

I turn to look at her, all big, concerned brown eyes.

"Like I said, I've had worse."

"Edward, you don't know him-"

"I'm not scared of him."

She presses her lips together, keeping silent as she watches me. I know she's trying to read me; figure me out and unpick what came before so she can understand what's behind my attitude and words. She opens her mouth, moves to speak, stops and then takes another breath.

"It's just…" She pauses, but when the words do come, they fall out quickly. "He's not just another tough-acting high school punk, you know?"

"That's okay," I tell her with a shrug, leaning back in my seat. "Neither am I."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 21**

I follow Bella home in my car and wait while she dumps her truck. Her dad's on a late shift, and there seems little point us both cooking to eat alone on opposite sides of town.

We've got our books spread out across the dining room table, chatting casually as we study, when I hear my dad arrive home. Bella and I ate an hour ago, but we haven't yet cleared our plates, or cleaned up the mess we made in the kitchen.

Apparently that's a problem.

"What the hell happened in here?" His voice booms across the house. Bella looks at me nervously as I roll my eyes.

"Here we go," I murmur. "Hi son, how was your day?" The sarcasm I force upon the words hides how much I long to hear them.

I don't reply, or go to him instead he's forced to come to me to continue his rant.

"Couldn't you at least try to clean up after yourself?" he asks. I'm facing the window, but can see his reflection in it, standing in the doorway, hands on his hips.

I resent his attitude and I really resent his complaint, not least because I clean up not only after myself, but after him too these days.

"We have a guest," I say, hooking my elbow over the back of the chair as I turn in my seat to look at him.

"Then it should only take half the time to clean up." His tone is smug and it makes me want to punch him in the throat.

"Stay there, I'll be right back," I tell Bella, as I shove my chair back and stand, stacking our plates together and picking them up in my right hand. My dad doesn't move enough for me to avoid him altogether as I push past him in the doorway, our shoulders colliding. The impact forces him to drop something I hadn't even noticed he'd been holding. My eyes follow as it hits the ground, and even looking down from my full height, I recognize the looped handwriting on the front of the envelope as Alice's.

I adjust my grip on the plates and bend down, reaching for the letter as my dad does the same. I get there a moment before he does, but as I bring it up to my face I notice it's not addressed to me after all.

I have no idea why she'd be writing to my dad, but I guess that explains his bad mood.

"Have you read it?" I ask, holding it out to him. His brows draw tight and his lips purse as he shakes his head.

"No."

"You going to?"

He takes the envelope from me, not offering any kind of a reply before he turns his attention to Bella.

"Don't you have a home to go to?" he growls at her.

"Hey!" I bark it in his face as I wrap a hand around his arm. I've grown taller. I didn't know I had, but I'm suddenly aware that I'm looking down on him for the first time. It's only a slight height advantage, but it flicks something inside of me, bolstering my confidence as I challenge him. He looks me directly in the eye. Whatever just changed in me, it's clear he can see it too. His own confidence falters as I stare him down. "I told you, she's my guest."

He looks on coolly for a moment longer, then he pulls his arm loose, turns and leaves, glancing back once before he moves out of sight.

Bella's already gathering her books together when I turn back to her.

"What are you doing?"

She doesn't look at me as she opens her bag and stuffs her things inside.

"Going home."

"Please don't leave."

I set the plates on the table and sink back down into my chair, thinking that I don't blame her. I'm sure I wouldn't want to stay here if the roles were reversed. She closes her bag and exhales, her shoulders dropping hopelessly. "Come here," I tell her, holding out my arm and beckoning her with my hand.

"Your dad hates me."

She's right. We both know it; he doesn't make any effort to hide the fact.

"Shhh. That's a strong word to use, baby." My mother's words slip automatically from my lips as I pull Bella onto my lap, feeling my heart dip as I take in the melancholy look on her sweet face. However much my father despises her, it's not nearly as much as _I_ despise _him_ for making my girl so sad.

Twirling her chocolate-brown hair around my finger, I tug gently on it to pull her closer and kiss her. If love could kiss sadness away, she'd be the happiest girl in the whole county about now.

She pulls away and her head drops down.

"I don't even know what I did, Edward."

"You didn't do anything, I swear." And she didn't. She's always been on her best behavior around him; desperate to make a good impression so he doesn't see her like everyone else always has.

How to explain to her? _It's not you, it's him?_ It took me long enough to figure out what his problem was, it bugs me that she even knows he has one.

"He looks at me as though I murdered a member of his family or something." She shivers as her words infiltrate my heart, chilling my blood until it's icy cold in my veins.

Her touch thaws the ice and yanks me back from the nightmare I slipped back toward, as she grabs a hold of my hand. "I'm sorry. Was it something I said?"

"No. I'm fine, really."

I force a smile for her, not because I'm happy, but because she once told me she could live off my smiles alone.

"It's your sister, isn't it?" she says, and my smile falters. The thought obviously just popped into her head from the way she says it. "I mean, all the shit between you and your dad, and the way you get all defensive any time someone mentions family. It's because of your sister."

"Why did you bring that up?" I ask. I'm pissed at her for being so fucking astute.

"The letter."

I try to stare her down, my face still inches from hers. She stares back, determinedly. "I could see it was from her. It was the same as the ones in your car."

I look away but I don't speak. "What did she do?" Bella's words are a whisper, as light as her fingers on my face. I close my eyes for a moment, willing her to disappear.

She's still there of course when I open them again, and as I look at her I know I'm going to do this. For the first time since it all happened, the thought of somebody knowing is comforting. I take a deep breath before I speak, trying to calm the churning in my stomach.

"She crashed her car and killed her mom."

Bella grows still as I watch her absorb the information.

"But it was an accident, right? I mean, why would she go to jail?" She's scant puzzle pieces I tossed her aren't nearly enough to build anything like a full picture.

"Alice was an addict." I say the words quietly. The monster upstairs already knows all the details, but he wouldn't be happy to hear me letting Bella in on them. "It was a DUI."

I've said enough for one night.

Almost.

I've never acknowledged it out loud, not even to myself, but as Bella gazes right at me with her big brown eyes, and I reach out to touch her cheek, there's one last detail that refuses to stay a secret.

"You kind of look a lot like her."

 **A/N - Thanks to Choc for the readover :) xx**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 22**

Bella pulls back from me, her face contorted in a look of disgust as she scrambles to get off my lap.

"I _look a lot like her?_ " She shakes her head as she grabs her stuff, freaking out big-time, and I finally realize exactly how my words must have come across.

"No!" I stand quickly. "Fuck! It's not like that." My stomach lurches and I reach for her, desperate for her to understand but unable to find the words that will make her.

"Get your fucking hands off me, you sick fuck." She pushes against me, but it's her words that hit me the hardest and force me off her, leaving me reeling.

"Bella, please…"

"Stay the hell away from me, Edward." Her face is fierce as she shoulders her bag roughly, turns and flies from the room, her footsteps fading before the front door slams and everything falls silent.

I stand and breathe heavily for a moment or two until the tension builds up unbearably inside of me.

Cursing loudly I grab a chair and shove it, sending it crashing into the one next to it. There was a time I wouldn't have stopped until I'd smashed half the objects in the room, but a numbness descends on me now and I wilt.

I turn and leave the room, stalking toward the staircase. I only notice my dad standing at the top, watching me, once I'm halfway up. I pause for a fraction of a second, then continue. I worry he'll say something to me about Bella. _Worry,_ because if he does, I'm not sure I'll have the self-control to stop myself from pushing him down he stairs. He steps aside silently when I get closer, still watching. I have my hand on the door to my room when he finally speaks.

"Are you okay, Son?"

I stop, surprised at the unexpected show of concern, and turn slowly to face him. He looks troubled as he watches me, but not nearly as troubled as his behavior has _me_ feeling. I shake my head. "What the fuck do you care?" I snarl, turning and heading into my room and locking the door behind me.

 ** _~CU~_**

My heart sinks as I walk into school the next day. The stares alone don't clue me in to begin with, but then I notice the looks of disgust and the whispered conversations, the word _sister_ drifting to my ears more than once. My hands are clenched into tight fists by the time I see Bella walking out of the girls' bathroom. I hurry to cover the last few feet and push her back inside. She gasps, her eyes wide and fearful as she looks up and sees me. It lasts for all of a moment, by the time I've scanned the space to check we're alone, she's all defiance and folded arms. I stand with my back to the door, stopping anyone from interrupting us.

"What the fuck have you done?" I demand.

"Let me out," she says, refusing to look at me as she reaches for the door handle beside me and tugs hopelessly on it.

"No."

She sighs loudly in annoyance and turns her head sharply to look up at me.

"What do you want me to say?"

"You could start with sorry," I tell her.

"You want _me_ to apologize to _you_?" She laughs. "How about _you_ apologize to _me_ for using me to indulge your sick infatuation for your sister while she's locked up in jail?"

"I don't have a fucking infatuation with my sister." I speak slowly, trying to keep a handle on my anger.

"Really? Well it's an easy mistake to make, you know, when the guy you've been fucking tells you you look like his sister."

I close my eyes and rest my head back on the door.

"I know how it sounded, but it's not how I meant it. You messed with my head when I first saw you because you reminded me of her, and I think that's why my dad's always such a dick around you. I promise it's not like that for me now, not at all. I only see you when I look at you, Bella."

She stares at me, giving nothing away.

"I'm leaving now," she says, reaching for the door handle again.

"Bella…"

She doesn't move, just stands looking straight ahead and waiting for me to let her go.

So I do.

 ** _~CU~_**

"So, I've been hearing some very interesting things about you these past few days," Brady says, laughing.

I've managed to avoid him all week outside of class, but apparently my luck just ran out.

"None of them are true," I tell him, glancing up from the notes I'm trying to commit to memory for my next class.

"Really? Only Bella's pretty convinced they are."

"Bella needs to learn to stop and listen to what people are trying to explain to her, rather than jumping to conclusions," I say. Brady laughs again and nods his head.

"Ain't that the truth."

I look at him closely but his reaction seems genuine, and for a moment I feel we have some kind of unspoken truce going on. I wonder what happened with him and Bella to make him agree with me on that point. "Listen, man," he says, sitting down beside me on the bench. "I can't help thinking we got off to a bad start. I hear everyone around school talking shit about you, and I figure starting a new school's tough enough without all this other stuff too."

I sigh impatiently.

"What do you want, Brady?"

"I don't _want_ anything."

I have to hand it to the guy, he almost pulled off that offended look then. "I just wanted to say that things are cool between us. I don't have a problem with you, Cullen."

"That's good to know," I say, humoring him when I don't actually give a fuck.

"Yeah, well I'll see you around." He reaches across and claps me on the arm before getting up and wandering away. I watch him go, questioning his motive again, knowing without a doubt, and despite his denial, he has one.

~CU~

 **A/N - Not the longest of updates, but hopefully enough to get me out of my word drought.**

 **Thanks to Choc for pre-reading x**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 23**

My dad and I don't cross paths all week, but when I get home from school on Friday, he's there and already cooking dinner. I've barely got the front door closed behind me before my mouth is watering at the smells drifting through from the kitchen. A small smile lifts the corners of my mouth. He's always done the cooking, it's just that he's not home nearly half as much these days, and even when he is, he's easier to stay away from.

"Hey," I greet him as I wander through into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and pouring myself some juice. He looks on approvingly as he stirs a pan. I guess it is the little things that matter after all. "Did you have a good day?"

"Not bad," he tells me. "You?"

I huff and set my glass down. "It's been kind of a shitty week."

He looks at me with sympathy. I can't remember the last time he showed even half as much concern as this.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You wanna talk about it?"

I guess he probably thinks I'm considering his offer, when in actual fact I'm trying to decide if there's anything I'd rather discuss _less_ with him.

"Nah, I'm good. It'll probably blow over."

"Starting school in a new place is never easy," he says. I resist telling him how much harder it is when everyone thinks you're in an incestuous relationship with your sister.

"Well I hope I'm not about to add to your bad week," he says, setting the spoon down, adjusting the burner and turning to face me as he signals to me to have a seat. I look at him, wondering what's going on as I lower myself onto a stool. "Alice wrote me about her parole. I'm going to go visit her next week. I wondered how you felt about it?"

"About you visiting her? Well-"

"No,no," he says, shaking his head gently and smiling at my misunderstanding. "About her coming back to live with us when she gets out of jail."

I'm shocked enough about him visiting her, I really hadn't seen the second part of that coming. It had been the plan on paper all along, I just hadn't thought it would ever happen given his attitude whenever she'd been mentioned since. I guess we'd never really sat down and discussed it though.

"You'll let her come back here?" I ask, double-checking I have his meaning right, because I still wouldn't put it past him to play some sick joke about it. I stare at him intently, looking for signs he's anything less than serious, but there are none.

"Well that depends how you feel about it?"

"I don't have any problem with it. Alice is my sister." It's simple as far as I'm concerned. I stare him down, waiting for him to disagree in some way, but he doesn't, he simply nods and turns to stir dinner again.

"It won't be for a while," he tells me. "But they're starting to work towards release with her. The family reunification they want her to do involves all of us, they need her to be closer to home so they can work with us."

"Home being…?"

He laughs softly. "Here of course. They're looking at a facility in Tacoma for her."

My eyes widen and I'm speechless for a moment, overwhelmed by the thought of having her close by. Eventually I snort quietly.

"I don't get it," I tell him honestly. "What's with the big turnaround?"

"I've been getting a little counseling," he tells me. "I guess it finally started to have an effect."

"Whoever you've been seeing needs a pay rise, they're a fucking miracle worker."

He tries to scowl but the smile wins out.

"You watch your mouth," he says. "I'm having a good day, so you probably shouldn't get too used to it, I'm not there yet, but I'm trying. I want to do my best by you and Alice, God knows I owe it to your mothers, the way I've treated you both since…" He tilts his head and I know what he means, he doesn't need to finish.

"Can I come with you next week?" I figure it's a good time to ask while he's feeling guilty as hell.

"You have school, Edward."

"Really?" I stare him down for a moment, until he looks away first.

"I guess you could," he relents.

Now he's given me permission I feel altogether less sure. I've not seen her in months and I'm kind of scared. What if she calls me out on not writing her back? I have no good reason other than the gigantic chip on my shoulder I've had recently. Maybe she changed and I won't recognize her?

I could really use somebody to talk all the shit going round in my head over with, but there's literally no-one since Bella fucked me over. The empty feeling the thought leaves me with, is depressing.

My dad changes the subject, launching into a story about something that happened at work the other day that made him laugh, but I can't concentrate. I do my best through dinner, trying to stay present and pushing alternate thoughts of Alice and then Bella out of my mind.

Finally, once we've eaten and cleared away together, he excuses himself to his office to do some work and I drift off to my room.

And all of this is why, when a message comes through to my phone from a number I don't recognize asking if I want to hang out, I reply with a yes.

Even though it is from Brady.

 _ **~Come Undone~**_

 **A/N Thanks to everyone who came back and read the last update after I'd been AWOL for so long, it's much appreciated :)**

 **Thanks to Choc as ever xx**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N - Just a quick update because it's been a while and anything's better than nothing, right? I spent virtually the whole of today devouring The Muse by Jessie Burton. I closed it after the last page and couldn't not write. Try and get hold of a copy if you can, not least for the beautiful cover :)**

 **All mistakes are mine, this is un-beta'd**

 **Chapter 24**

Brady's house is a world away from mine. It's past the main part of town, a stone's throw from the trailer-park, and it's as if the dilapidation has seeped out of the dirty, half-broken mobile homes and infected everything around them. The building is squat and shabby, a single storey affair with scattered piles of scrap metal in the front yard, weeds thriving in clumps around them. A fierce looking black dog barks before I've even fully emerged from my car, and my heart stops for a moment as it runs at me. I'm about to pull my legs back inside and slam the door when it stops short, yanked back by a chain. My eyes follow the now-taut metal along, and I see it anchors the dog to a surprisingly new and clean looking kennel.

"Wolf! Shut the fuck up!" an angry voice calls from the direction of the door. I turn and see Brady exiting the house, letting the screen slam with a ferocity I fear may cause the whole thing to drop off its hinges and to the ground. Nothing here - except the kennel - looks as though it has more than a few months' life left in it.

"Hey," he greets me enthusiastically. I echo his greeting, frustrated at how my reservations about this whole situation shine through in my voice. "Come on in, man." I fight the urge to turn and leave, instead following him as he holds the screen and then the door open for me. Wolf has stopped barking, but the threatening murmur of a growl rolls in his throat, accompanying me all the way over the threshold.

Inside, with the door closed behind us, the house is dim. I expected more of what I'd seen on the outside, but it just goes to show, you should never judge a book by its cover. As my eyes adjust I see the place isn't lavishly furnished, but it's spotless and smells of something delicious and freshly baked. Soft jazz music winds it way through from somewhere I can't see, accompanied by a woman's voice singing faultlessly along. I raise my eyebrows at Brady.

"My mom," he explains with a roll of his eyes. I want to push him against the wall, tell him to show some respect, to be grateful that he has his mom around, but I don't. Instead I nod. _Yeah, I get it. Mom's huh?_

I trail behind him, into the kitchen. He grabs a plate from off a shelf and the movement draws the woman's attention. She turns and smiles when she sees me.

"Oh, hi," she says, wiping her hands off on an apron tied around her waist. "Brady didn't say he was having anyone over."

"This is Edward," he says through a mouthful of cookie he stole off the cooling rack as he stretches his big fingers wide and grabs a handful more, dropping them onto his plate like one of those grabber machines you see at the fairground. His mom whacks him on the arm with the back of her hand.

"Don't talk with your mouth full. How many times?" He ignores her, turning and walking away, leaving me to smile weakly in apology for someone she raised but I barely know. I expect her to do something, _say_ something to him at least, but she smiles back, a genuine smile that tells me everything I need to know about where Brady's general sense of entitlement originates. Not only is he top of the pack socially, he clearly rules the roost here at home too.

"You want one?" he holds the plate out to me as he spreads out across his bed, leaving me standing awkwardly beside it.

"Sure." I don't really, but I take one anyway, not wanting to offend. I'm not sure why it matters so much to me - I still don't trust the dude.

It becomes clear that he's not going to make the effort to offer me a seat, so I pull out his desk chair, ignoring the sweaters hanging off the back of it as I sit.

"You didn't have any better offers for tonight?" I ask him, taking a bite of my cookie as he picks up the remote and flicks on the TV.

"Yeah, I had better offers. Didn't have any more _interesting_ ones though." He glances away from the screen and winks at me. I smirk and shake my head, the idea of having me over here as 'interesting', amusing me way more than it should.

"You're gonna be disappointed," I tell him.

"I doubt that," he replies. Then without missing a beat, "I half-thought you might be busy banging Bella." It becomes obvious in that short sentence what he meant about not being disappointed. He hasn't invited me over here to provide the entertainment, he's invited me to help him entertain himself. My stomach rolls but I'm determined not to play his games.

"You have to be fucking kidding me," I say, forcing a smile I hope looks genuine. "Dude, I'd be more likely to bang your mom than Bella after the shit she spread around school about me this week." At the mention of his mom, Brady froze and turned to glare at me. For a split second I thought he was going to launch himself at me, but then he threw back his head and laughed loudly. As his laughter died down, he turned to look at me, the ghost of a smile still there on his lips.

"You know, that's just as well, Eddie _._ Because I'd be more likely to let you bang my mom than I would Bella." He holds my gaze, the unspoken threat sitting heavily in the air between us. I say nothing, just slip the rest of that fucking cookie in my mouth and try not to choke on it, as I turn uncomfortably back to the TV screen.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 25**

The atmosphere eases over the next half hour, almost to the point that I think maybe I was being paranoid when I analyzed his reasons for inviting me here. We don't talk much, both keeping our eyes on the TV, laughing at the same times and exchanging flippant remarks about the action on the screen. I make one comment that makes Brady throw back his head and laugh so loudly I half expect his mom to bang on the door and tell him to keep it down. When he finally calms, there's a change in him. The slight narrowing of his eyes when he looks at me has faded, and the smile that lingers seems genuine. He doesn't say anything to me, but he nods his head in a gesture I understand as some kind of tenuous acceptance. It surprises me and my eyebrows raise a little. Brady acts like nothing's up, but he pushes the plate with the last cookie down the bed towards the bottom where I still sit on the chair, my feet up on the edge of the mattress. I stretch out and pick up the cookie as soon as it's within reach.

"Thanks, man."

He replies with a grunt and then we both turn our attention back to the TV.

"Let's get out of here," he says when the next ad break comes on. He's already up and turning the TV off before I can answer.

"Where're we going?"

He smiles conspiratorially as he straightens from pulling on his sneakers.

"Let's hit the girls up."

I cringe, the thought of seeing Bella right now makes me screw up my face like I have a sour taste in my mouth.

Brady laughs and hits me in the chest with the back of his hand. "Relax, B won't be there."

A stab of annoyance shoots through me as he reads my mind and then shows off his knowledge about her. I for one have no fucking clue where she is or what she's doing, and I'm pissed at myself for making it so clear with my reaction.

"Where are you going?" Brady's mom calls as we pass the kitchen doorway.

"Out."

"Will you be late home?"

He doesn't reply, just lets the door slam behind us as we leave the house. I glance back, swallowing the guilt I feel by association.

"We'll take your car," he says, heading for the curb where it's parked. It's fine by me; at least this way I can leave when I've had enough.

We've only been in the car a couple of minutes when Brady speaks.

"So, you've got a sister…"

I look at him from the corner of my eye.

"Step-sister," I correct.

"She doesn't live with you." It's not a question.

"No, it's just me and my dad." I'm making my responses short and hoping he'll take the hint.

"'Cause she's in jail?"

I huff impatiently. "I really don't want to fucking talk about it."

"Hey, hey." Brady raises his hands in a calming gesture. "It's cool, I get it. I was only asking because, you know, my old man's in jail too and I know what it's like."

I turn my head to glance at him but he's doing a good job of looking like a guy concentrating one hundred per cent on the road ahead. "Make a right here," he says, reinforcing the act.

I say nothing more and neither does he.

"Whose house is this?" I ask, pulling to a stop five minutes later. It's neat, tidy and on the whole pretty average looking.

"Leah's."

"Do I know Leah?"

"Probably not." That's all he offers before he opens the door and gets out of the car. I sit with my hands on the steering wheel and watch him walk away towards the house, before huffing and following. The door opens as I walk up behind him, and a tall girl with long, straight dark hair appears, doing a double-take when she lays eyes on Brady. She glances furtively behind her and takes a step forward, pulling the door almost closed behind her.

"Are you crazy? Seth's home," she hisses at Brady.

"He is?" Brady grins.

"It's not funny. Get out of here before he sees you."

"Leah's brother Seth hates me," he tells me without further explanation, still looking amused.

"Please, Brady." She looks desperate, leaning back to listen at the gap in the door for a moment.

"Only if you come with us," he says. Leah appears to consider it for a few seconds, then finally nods.

"Give me a few minutes, I'll meet you round the corner," she says, closing the door.

"Why does he hate you?" I press as soon as we're far enough away from the house to not be overheard.

"Clash of personalities." Brady smiles and climbs back into my car. I guess that's all the explanation I'm getting for now.

"He nearly caught you, you know?" Leah slides into the back seat, closing the door behind her and reaching for the seat belt.

"It's cool, babe. Edward's good with his hands. He's got previous."

I turn and stare at him, my brain racing as I try and figure out a rational reason for how he knows about my rap sheet. I'm sure I never mentioned it to Bella. Brady grins when he sees the look on my face.

"How did you…?" I tilt my head without even managing to finish my sentence.

"Friends in high places, Edward. Now are we getting out of here, or what?"

~CU~

 **A/N - Thanks to Choc for reading x**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 26**

I'm torn between trying to work out what the deal is with Brady and this Leah girl, and forcing my brain to stop spinning over what he said about my previous convictions. Nobody here in Forks knows a damn thing about any of it, so it can only have come from someone with access to my police records. I wonder why I'm so bothered by thought of people knowing. I'm not ashamed of what I did: any piece of shit willing to sell drugs to underage girls when they can see what devastation they're causing deserves what they get as far as I'm concerned. My only regret is not causing him more lasting damage.

"So how do you two know one another?" I ask, pushing my other concerns away before I drive myself crazy going over it all in my head. I glance at Leah in the rear view mirror as she rolls her eyes and looks away out of the side window.

"Brady was Seth's best friend until a year ago," she says. I can't decide if the conversation is boring her as much as she makes it sound, or if she's forcing it. I glance at Brady.

"I thought you said it was a clash of personalities?"

"He changed." Brady shrugs and looks back at Leah with a smile.

"Seth wants to join the police force when he graduates," Leah tells me, her eyes locking on mine in the mirror as she faces forward again. My confusion must have been clear to see, because after a brief pause she continues. "Being seen to be friends with Brady was never going to help with that."

"So he blew me off," Brady adds, clutching at his chest as though wounded.

"That doesn't explain why he hates you though," I say. Brady looks at me intently, lowering his arm again.

"It does if you know me, Cullen. I don't like being blown off." He turns away and I notice Leah does the same.

"You guys still hang out though." It's a statement, not a question, and the fact they're both in my car proves it.

"She can't stay away from me," Brady says, looking over his shoulder and throwing another wide grin in Leah's direction.

"Ha! Says the guy who came calling on me," she teases, sitting forward and suddenly more vibrant than she's been the whole time. The good mood inside the small space is infectious and I laugh with them. "Shall I call Emily and see if she wants to come out?"

"Sure. I haven't seen Em in months, does she still have the hots for me?" Brady asks. Leah lets out a loud hoot of laughter.

"Dude, you wish."

"Emily's cute," he tells me, his voice lowered, although I've no idea why because it wasn't quiet enough to escape Leah's ears. She clears her throat loudly. "The guy's sitting right here, Leah, he can already see you're cute."

I catch her eye again in the mirror and she smirks. "The difference is Emily has standards when it comes to guys. I've always let myself down a little."

"Hey." Brady swings his body round as much as his seatbelt will allow.

"Are you two a thing?" I ask, my confidence bolstered by their good moods. They've made me think they are, but then I think back to all the times I've seen Brady with other girls. They both stutter over their words, changing their minds and between them telling me yes, no and kind of.

"We're kind of on and off," Leah tells me. "On when he's being sweet and off when he's being a dick. Which is most of the time." She blows him a kiss.

"You want to walk home, Little Miss Sass?"

"Sure. How long do you think it would take Seth to find you if you dump me out of the car?"

"You know I'm not scared of him, babe."

"Yeah? Well maybe you should be. I don't know about him any more; lately he's a lot more guarded than he was. I have no idea who he's spending all his time with but he's hardly ever at home."

A look of concern forms on Brady's face as the happy atmosphere fizzles and vanishes. "You think he's got something going on?"

"I'm not sure. He's just been a little off the past few weeks. He completely disappeared twice for a couple of days, my mom was going crazy."

"Why didn't you call me?" Brady asks her, but she just frowns and stares at him.

"Seriously?"

He sighs and turns back to face the road. "I guess you're right."

"I usually am," she bites back, the smile returning, though not as bright as it was.

 **~CU~**

Emily's up for hanging out, but she's stuck babysitting her little brothers so we head over to her place.

There's no warm greeting. "Take your shoes off and keep your voices down," she orders in a low voice as she opens the door and stands back to let us enter.

"Nice to see you too," Brady tells her, patting her cheek with his hand as he files past her first. She swats it away and glares at him.

"Hey, babe," Leah greets her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. As Leah moves away, Emily's eyes drift over to me. She tilts her head and raises an eyebrow.

"Hi," she says. I'm aware she's scrutinizing me and it makes me feel awkward and self-conscious.

"Hi." I shift from foot to foot.

"Are you coming in, pretty boy? Only I'm going to close the door either way."

I smirk and look away from her, snorting quietly in an attempt to cover my embarrassment at what she just called me. Recovering quickly I step over the threshold and into her house, conscious of her eyes on me as I pull my shoes off and then walk ahead of her, following Brady & Leah.

Emily's place is a world away from Brady's. It's big and spacious and everything in it is obviously expensive; not unlike my own house, filled as it is with shit chosen by my pretentious father. Brady's trying to look cool but I can tell he's a little intimidated by the way his eyes flick around.

"Where are your folks?" he asks, dropping down onto one of the huge leather couches. I notice he stretches his arm out across the back of it, a wordless invitation Leah takes him up on, tucking herself into the space beside him. I sit myself on the other couch, directly opposite them, turning my attention to the music channel showing on the huge TV on the wall.

"Some awards dinner in Port Angeles," Emily replies, sounding bored. "Can I get you guys something to drink? Beer?"

Brady and Leah accept enthusiastically. When Emily turns to me I decline the offer.

"I'm driving," I remind her. "Could I get a soda?"

She smiles. "You could just have the one beer."

"Soda's fine, thanks." I can hear the annoyance in my voice, and from the pissed off look on her face I guess she hears it too.I don't miss the look she shoots Brady and Leah as she leaves the room to fetch the drinks.

I feel bad enough to apologize when she returns. "It's complicated," I add when she sits down beside me, looking like she's expecting me to say something more.

"There's no excuse for bad manners," she says. "I don't care how pretty you are." She moves a little closer as I laugh self-consciously and push a hand nervously through my hair. I glance over at Brady and Leah, but they're deep in conversation, heads close together. "I've seen you before," she tells me. "Charlotte's house in the summer. You were there with Bella Swan."

I look up at her, the sound of Bella's name making my heart stutter.

"You were there too?" I ask. She nods and I look closely at her, but she doesn't look at all familiar to me. "I don't remember you."

Emily laughs. "Of course you don't, you barely took your eyes off Bella." She pauses as my mind jumps back to that day. "Brady's really protective of her," she says, her voice quiet as though she's trying to prevent him from hearing what she's saying. "Which is why it was kind of a surprise to see you here with him. What's going on with you two?" She gestures subtly to the other side of the room with her head.

I frown.

"Nothing's going on," I say. She raises her eyebrows as though she doesn't believe me. I look across to Brady and see he's watching us, his brow a little furrowed as though he's trying to work out what's happening. "At least nothing I know of," I whisper. She leans in, her mouth close to my ear, her breath tickling my skin.

"Trust me, there's always something going on with Brady. If you don't know what it is, I suggest you make it your priority to find out. And fast."

 **~CU~**

 **A/N - Thanks to Choc for pre-reading :) xx**


End file.
